5

I print on a glass bed covered with BuildTak. Prints stick well, release is difficult. They sell a mod, self adhesive magnetic sheet that holds a steel plate which in turn you put the BuildTak on making it easier to get your prints off by twisting the flexible steel as opposed to chiseling your print off a glass plate while attempting to not peel chunks of the expensive Buildtak off.

Magnetic sheets have different strengths proportional to thickness in milimeters. I can get 0.03 mm locally which provides 85 lbs pull per sqft. and was wondering if this might work. It's hard to find the stronger pulls, 0.045 mm and 0.06 mm which can pull 115 and 145 lbs respectively.

I'd prefer cut my own new bed sandwich rather than pay 90 bucks for one.

  • Has anyone made a bed using adhesive magnetic sheet>
  • What thickness magnetic sheet has worked for you?
  • What thickness steel are you using?

Assume it has to flex easily to twist the part of and also flexible enough for the magnet to pull it flat.

With respect to the comment by tbm0115:

I don't think you need that much magnetic pull for this application. Adhering basic coin magnets to a material in a large array should secure the material appropriately for a desktop printer.

I see where you are going with coin magnets. Have you tried this? In the original Makerbot Cupcake this is how it was done though with larger build surfaces you get warp on metal plates. Most metal sheet comes from the plant on a roll. Though your metal looks nice and flat, temperature changes will cause it to warp and as you know with SLA printers, a changing bed can cause a failure. This happened on the original Makerbot replicator 1st release followed by using a machined plate as a replacement.

Community
  • 1
Davepix
  • 71
  • 6
  • 5
    Whats the question? – StarWind0 Jan 31 '17 at 16:55
  • I don't think you need that much magnetic pull for this application. Adhering basic coin magnets to a material in a large array should secure the material appropriately for a desktop printer. – tbm0115 Jan 31 '17 at 21:51
  • Hi, Davepix, and welcome to 3D Printing SE! As pointed out by several here already, exactly *what you are asking about* is a bit unclear at the moment. I have therefore put your question *on hold*, so that you may clearify this by editing your question. When you are done, press the *reopen* link below your question. – Tormod Haugene Feb 01 '17 at 08:38
  • I see where you are going with coin magnets. Have you tried this? In the original Makerbot Cupcake this is how it was done though with larger build surfaces you get warp on metal plates. Most metal sheet comes from the plant on a roll. Though your metal looks nice and flat, temperature changes will cause it to warp and as you know with SLA printers, a changing bed can cause a failure. This happened on the original Makerbot replicator 1st release followed by using a machined plate as a replacement. – Davepix Feb 01 '17 at 20:01

2 Answers2

2

Follow up:

I used the 6mil magnet, cut a sheet of thin steel, (about .5mm) to fit, added a layer of Buildtak and now it's much easier to remove prints, build surface is very flat. I assume you could deform the metal beyond the magnet's ability to flatten it but it works quite well. The metal was cut with sheet metal snips, risky as they can bend the sheet. Probably better done with a saw though.

Davepix
  • 71
  • 6
-1

Try using buildtak flex. https://www.buildtak.com/product/flexplate/

or cheaper alternatives: http://www.printinz.com/printinz-plate-3d-printer-bed-upgrade/

Eagl3
  • 184
  • 3
  • This does not answer the question, which asks about DIY solutions, and doesn't ask for suggestions of commercial alternatives. – Tom van der Zanden Mar 08 '17 at 10:18
  • @Tom van der Zanden I disagree, The OP was hinting at a DIY approach because of known cost to OP for said materials was too high, however he/she did not explicitively declare that they were looking for DIY solution. Therefore offering a cheaper alternative might be useful to to the OP since the **price** was the initial cause for hinting at a DIY approach. – Eagl3 Mar 08 '17 at 17:48
  • 1
    @Eagl3 Welcome to the group! Though I have to agree with Tom. See "I'd prefer cut my own new bed sandwich rather than pay 90 bucks for one." "Has anyone made a bed using adhesive magnetic sheet", "What thickness magnetic sheet has worked for you?" "What thickness steel are you using?" Just keep in mind we have to be fairly strict on answering the question precisely given our format. So don't take offense. – StarWind0 Mar 09 '17 at 16:44