Pros:
- PLA, Nylon, kinda-ABS, stick perfectly to the cold build platform: the filament extrudes into the threading of the canvas and holds tightly
- Lasts a damn long time: I've done hundreds of prints and only had to change it a couple times, usually when I have a tough battle to get something off the plate and it tears the canvas
- There is absolutely no maintenance. Just relevel the bed once, and prints will stick well for the lifetime of the canvas.
- Have been able to print nylon on the cold plate, as long as it's not too wide of a base
- Sometimes things stick too well and are difficult to pry off. I have a large knife ... machete? ... that I use to slide under the print and work around to get the print released.
- Bottom surface of the print is ugly. It has a textured pattern. For me this doesn't matter because a lot of what I'm printing are board game organizers, etc, where the bottom surface isn't exposed.
- I have tried with ABS a couple times, but it didn't work as well as I expected it to. I'm not sure why. It might've been bad luck at the time and that it actuall works well.
Process:
- Get some strong sheets of canvas.
- Will also need epoxy and kapton tape.
- Get a large, heavy stack of books, to put on the plate while it is drying/setting
- Cut out a piece of canvas the size of your plate (perhaps slightly bigger)
- Put the kapton tape over the surface as you would for normal printing. Place the plate on a large sheet of cardboard, as this can get messy.
- Mix the two parts of epoxy and preferably a little food coloring (as mentioned in the tip above)
- Spread epoxy evenly over the kapton surface. Make sure you get all the way up to the edges. Work quickly as the epoxy will start to set in a few minutes.
- Carefully center the canvas over the platform and press it down and smooth it out with your hands.
- Put a stack of books on it for a few hours until it sets/dries.
- Re-level your printer to the new plate height. It should be a bit tighter level than normal, to ensure that the filament is extruded into the threads of the canvas.
I hope someone else gets some benefit out of this technique, as it was a lifesaver for me. I wanted to spread the word as widely as possible!