Flexible Magnetic Build Surface for the M2/M3

[willnewton]

-Disclaimer-
I was picked to beta test this system and in return for my feedback, I received it at a discounted price (not for free). I did have to pay full shipping.

I have promised to contact Peter if any major issue arises so we can work it out. I will be honest with my feedback, just keep in mind this is a beta test, so changes may occur before the final product is released.

***********

After getting set up with the beta tester status and ordering. I received my package in the mail a couple of days ago and should have it installed this weekend. The package shipped via DHL from China.

Here is the shipping box on the left, which had a tough plastic shipping wrapper. This also shows the build surface parts packaging on the right. The build surfaces are well protected by the cardboard frame and a piece of steel wool is included.

Officially unboxed pic. Parts look fine despite the long trip. Here are the magnetic, metal, and pex surfaces.

The parts have a nice feel and look good. Each part has been branded with the Wham Bam logo, as well as the outer box. The nice attention to quality and detail bodes well for the weekend install.

[psd]

looks great, let us know of your progress!

[willnewton]

For the first step, I watched Peter’s video on installing the bed system. The video will apply to installs on any machine. If you watch it, you will know what to do with your M2/M3.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLxP0Wo2044

Next, I cleaned the stainless steel with alcohol to install the PEX sheet that is used as a build surface. I peeled back a bit of the adhesive backing on the PEX to expose a strip of the sticky adhesive and aligned the PEX on the plate. Once aligned, I pressed down that exposed edge to the plate and began the process of gradually peeling the backing and pressing down the center and out to the sides as I worked my way down the steel applying the sheet.

Once it was down, I removed the clear protective cover on the front of the PEX and started prepping the surface with steel wool. To do this, you just put down a bit of alcohol on the build surface and rub the steel wool in small circles over the whole thing. This will promote filament adhesion. Wipe the PEX down after scuffing to remove any steel wool particles and skin oil.

None of this was hard to do and is clearly explained in the video.

Here is flexible steel plate with PEX sheet installed and ready to go!

[willnewton]

Next, I removed the glass plate from the M2 bed and cleaned the heater plate with a little alcohol to clean it up. I then used the same technique to apply the magnetic backing as I did for the Pex sheet. The magnetic sheet is stiffer and goes on very quickly.

I did not bother to remove the bed from the machine. My printer is tucked back into a corner and I did not care to unplug everything and move the printer just to get to the ziptied wires to unplug the bed, etc. It went on very easily and did not require any great pressure to apply.

One thing I noticed is the corners are cut on the magnetic and build surface plate. Someone may want to make a fuss about lost printing area, but anyone using a stock M2 has probably got their bed clips on and they are taking up the same real estate as the small corner cuts do. I have never come close the bed perimeters on a print, so for me, this is a non issue.

Actually, those corner cuts make it easier to remove the plate because you can just hold your thumb there to help hold the heating pad in place while you lift the build plate. The cuts also keep the corner braces from catching on the plate and make replacing the build surface less of a critical operation than having to fit everything back together perfectly. I think I am going to print a small set of hold downs for the corners that will be just enough to keep anything from lifting when I pull the plate up. They should be simple and mount using the existing bolts. It will be good first print to test the bed with as well.

Here is the magnetic bed installed.

The build plate is placed. There is plenty of magnetic stick to hold it down, yet it is easy to lift by the front tabs to remove it.

[jferguson]

Willi, You're doing a pretty good job of showing us how this thing goes together. Thanks.

A concern with this system is whether it maintains it's flatness and vertical position through removal, extraction of the print, and re-installation assuming of course that care is taken that the lower surface and the back of the plate are immaculate - something you have to do with the glass plate as well. If I'm not confused, an additional layer has been added to the bed which used to consist of the spider, the aluminum heating element sheet, the glass plate and the Kynar tape. Now there is the spider, MakerGear's aluminum heater plate, PSD's magnetic sheet adhered to the heater plate, then the magnetic printing plate topped by the printing surface.

does this mean there are two layers of steel between the heater and the print surface? What effect will this have on heat distribution on the printing surface? How much more does this weigh than what you were using and do you think that makes a difference.

And finally, PSD, asking for your beta testers to pay is a good idea, makes certain they are serious, and in this example you seem to be getting the results you are looking for.

PS:
You're a hell of a designer. I'm very impressed by your web page.

[psd]

Thank you Will for your great report, I will stay out unless asked to allow you to do as unbiased of s job possible.

Thank you jferguson for your kind words and astute understanding of our beta conditions, we want vested and serious people and that weeds out the ones looking for freebies with no real interest.

[willnewton]

Now it is time to set the new bed height.

1. Heat up your hot end and your bed with new Wham Bam plate installed as you would for printing.

2. Now you can loosen the set screw on extruder mount plate at the nozzle heat break and push the nozzle up a little (not with your fingers!). You may want to retract the filament about 10mm as well.

3. Turn off the nozzle and let it cool to about room temp. You will need to clean off the end of the nozzle while it is warm to make sure there is no filament buildup.

4. I applied a piece of blue tape over the center of the bed, just in case I did something stupid. It might give me a bit of warning before scraping the PEX or give me the half second I need hit the STOP button to prevent any inadvertent damage. I will take it off later.

5. Grab a thin, but nice business card, and Home the Z axis.

6. Slide the business card under the nozzle and then lower the nozzle so it is in contact with the card. Don't smush it, just a gentle press to make sure there is contact. Now, tighten the set screw on the mounting plate.

7. Now you need to level the bed and set the final nozzle height. There are many different ways to do this depending on your hardware and software. I use Simplify 3d, which has a bed leveling tool and a Z-axis height adjustment for the nozzle. I am not going to go into that process too deeply, but I am going to provide you with some photos in my next post to help you know what to look for.

You can see the bolt to the left of the fan and the nozzle sitting on the biz card.

[willnewton]

Here is a photo essay on setting your nozzle height. I left the blue tape on until I got pretty close. I dropped the nozzle .10mm for each try. Your printer may need more or less adjusting.

This is too high. It is the nozzle height from the business card.

Ok, this is getting something on the build plate, but still bad.

Another .10mm down.

Another .10mm. Starting to look like something.

Ahh, now we are getting somewhere.

[willnewton]

Ok, now I can take off the blue tape and drop down to .05mm increments.

Here is the link to my test file at https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3750638 It is just a .50 tall small ring. I printed it with a brim that is 10mm distant. It is good enough to see how your “squish” is. I like to just see the filament perimeter lines on the bottom of the print. Usually I go further until it is fully squished and then start raising the nozzle until the filament perimeter and infill line just starts to appear.

You are going to have to fine tune this based on your needs. Sometimes you really need a print stuck down, so oversquish is Ok, sometimes you need accuracy, so not so much squish to prevent a flange from forming.

This diagram is what you need to see.

[willnewton]

I designed these bed clips to go with my flexible build plate from Wham Bam Systems. They definitely fit the M2. I am not sure about the M3 and others. If you can verify the fit for other printers, let me know.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3750671

The front clips hold the bed in place to prevent it from lifting when you remove the build surface, but still allows you to remove the heater bed by lifting from the rear. You will have to remove the top rubber angle bracket and install this so it will be at the correct height for the magnetic bed.

The rear clips install on top of the rear rubber brackets and help align the steel plate as you drop it down on the magnetic bed. By leaving the rubber brackets on, the bed will stay stable and the fit will be more universal.

To drop down the build surface, just push the edge of the plate to the back and make sure it is centered between the clips and drop it down. It was not hard to drop the build plate on straight, but I wanted it to be super easy and I can do it sitting in front of the printer without having to look at it from above.

Just tighten these down until they just starts to make good contact. By gently tightening you will feel the point where it goes from almost no resistance to a bit more effort, stop there! Do not crush these down or you will have issues.

You will probably need to re-level your bed after installing these. The stock screws work fine.