Tried out a new bed material manufacturer - http://www.geckotek3d.com/
Pros:
- It works? Seriously though no lifts.
- It lets me run the heated bed cooler cuz metal = better heat transfer and whatever the coating is on it makes less heat required
- It lets me also run the extruder cooler because I can raise the nozzle farther away from the bed and thus there's less back pressure. I'm still playing with this - hoping to get down to 200C with my v3b & PLA.
- Once cool, prints just detach, like they would with the glass bed (for the most part - see first con)
Cons:
- It scratches SO easily. The brim I had printing wouldn't come off using just my fingernail, so I tried using the tip of precision needle-nose pliers to pick it off, and put a small scratch (couple mm long) in the surface. I cursed a bunch, and then pulled out an old credit card which pushed the brim loose.
- Unsure of the coating's durability against my typical cleaner, denatured alcohol. Their guide says to use isopropyl every 10-12 prints, but I was under the impression isopropyl evaporated and would leave a residue behind?
- The plate doesn't seem AS level as the borosilicate glass from MG. This may be caused by a number of factors, and I did manage to compensate for it using the build plate's leveling system pretty well.
- Im concerned about metal HBP for leveling purposes as the weather changes. I keep the printer in my basement to keep temperature changes relatively small, but humidity does fluctuate (Thanks Philadelphia weather patterns) so we'll see how that goes.
- Did I mention the coating?
General Thoughts:
- The finish produced is somewhere between the glass bed shiny and the super matte finish of painters tape.
- No curling with no bed additions = win for me, even with the coating. As long as you treat it with some care it appears to be holding up fine (I've put 3 big prints down on it and they've all done really well)
Would Recommend to others? Yes
Would buy again? Yes.
Photos:
Geckotek 3D printer bed test out
Re: Geckotek 3D printer bed test out
The humidity should not hurt it. It says it is aluminum...and as you said it scratched easy. Update this after you have run 100s of prints ...lol