8

Removeable beds are starting to get more common in low-price consumer-grade printers. There are pretty much 3 types:

  • Unheated beds
  • Heated beds from steel held by magnets or clips
  • Heated glass beds held by clips

Unheated beds are the lowest class, and not an issue here. What are the pros and cons for a steel/springsteel bed versus a glass bed?

Trish
  • 20,169
  • 10
  • 43
  • 92

1 Answers1

2

In favor of glass:

  • Smoother surface gives you a nicer bottom layer (though Kapton-layered steel is no slouch)
  • More even, regular surface makes bed easier to level
  • Easy to prep and clean
  • More scratch-resistant makes getting under a part with a metal scraper a little less harrowing
  • Corrosion-resistant (glass doesn't rust; silicon dioxide is in fact already about as oxidized as it can possibly be)

In favor of steel:

  • Flexes for easier release
  • Safer (steel plates don't shatter, at least not at temperatures you're likely to use them)
  • Conducts heat better for faster and more even heating
  • Slightly less expensive on average
KeithS
  • 461
  • 2
  • 9