MakerGear Forum

So i thought, what the heck, I'll start a discussion....

Pros and Cons: What do you think about using a sheet of aluminum foil on the bed to "speed up the heat up"?

I think the foil would do a better job of stopping aliens from monitoring my prints.
Dont know how much faster it would really be.

Now there's a scary thought.........

Just catching up on some overdue seasonal yard work

I should be.......

Jules wrote:So i thought, what the heck, I'll start a discussion....
Pros and Cons: What do you think about using a sheet of aluminum foil on the bed to "speed up the heat up"?

I think a thin sheet of foam would be more effective than foil at keeping the heat where you want it - the heating is more conduction than radiant so a simple insulator would be more effective than a reflector, IMHO. The main problem for me would be remembering to pull it off the printer before the print starts

Jules wrote:So i thought, what the heck, I'll start a discussion....

Pros and Cons: What do you think about using a sheet of aluminum foil on the bed to "speed up the heat up"?

I think aluminum foil would act as a heat sink and have the exact opposite effect. Of course either hypothesis leads to the same experiment, so let us know your findings.

I've heard of people using a towel on the bed but I've never tried it myself.

Yeah, I've used a towel - it does heat it up quicker, particularly in a cold room.

Yesterday for the first time i tried the foil and it "seemed" to be a lot quicker than the towel, but I didn't bother to time it. Guess I'll have to do some experimenting.

I've seen a sheet of cork used (In fact, I think it was a video with an M2...have to exercise my Google fu).

But here are some pre-cut sheets on eBay

Those seem a bit pricey considering you can get a box of cork flooring tiles or a whole roll from Staples for cheaper