Hello everyone and thank you in advance. I have been lurking and learning here for quite some time, but haven't found many answers or examples that I need this time. I built a Prusa Mendel V2 8 months ago and I have had great success with Ramps 1.4, sprinter, slic3r, pronterface, etc. I enjoy the printer so much that I have decided to build my own Lulzbot clone to gain a larger build area and I will incorporate a second extruder.
My question lies in how to heat the build surface, and how to mount everything securely but also in a way that parts can be easily exchanged. I plan to procure the aluminum bed plate mount,HERE, from Lulzbot. I will also likely use something like their 300mm sqaure borosilicate glass HERE, if I can't find a better option locally. I have also seen basalt platforms offered by qu-bd this link, but I have yet to come across anyone who has posted their experience with either one. Does anyone know much about either bed surface? Is there anything else that I should be looking at? Are there other alternatives to the lulzbot machined plate?
For the heater, I have been considering the 300mm flexible silicon heaters from qu-bd but (another link), again, I still haven't found many people who have posted their experiences. Yet another option would be something like the 10"x10" heated pcb's (this one, for example). First of all, could the 10"x10" heated pcb simply be attached to the bottom of the 12"x12" glass with something like kapton tape? Would that allow sufficient heat transfer? Would the larger glass be able to retain enough heat at the edges if it overhangs the element by 1" all the way around? In many ways it seems like the cheaper and easier option, but I don't know how well it would work. The silicon heater mat needs to be adhered with high-temp RTV, so it sounds like changing the glass would be much more of a chore. Are there any alternative attachement methods here? Any other recommdations?
I apologize for the rambling post, but I hope that there's something here to be kicked-around (not me please, I'm new to the forum). If anyone has pictures of their oversized beds with their heaters, and especially their attachment methods, it would be very helpful to see some of your solutions.
My question lies in how to heat the build surface, and how to mount everything securely but also in a way that parts can be easily exchanged. I plan to procure the aluminum bed plate mount,HERE, from Lulzbot. I will also likely use something like their 300mm sqaure borosilicate glass HERE, if I can't find a better option locally. I have also seen basalt platforms offered by qu-bd this link, but I have yet to come across anyone who has posted their experience with either one. Does anyone know much about either bed surface? Is there anything else that I should be looking at? Are there other alternatives to the lulzbot machined plate?
For the heater, I have been considering the 300mm flexible silicon heaters from qu-bd but (another link), again, I still haven't found many people who have posted their experiences. Yet another option would be something like the 10"x10" heated pcb's (this one, for example). First of all, could the 10"x10" heated pcb simply be attached to the bottom of the 12"x12" glass with something like kapton tape? Would that allow sufficient heat transfer? Would the larger glass be able to retain enough heat at the edges if it overhangs the element by 1" all the way around? In many ways it seems like the cheaper and easier option, but I don't know how well it would work. The silicon heater mat needs to be adhered with high-temp RTV, so it sounds like changing the glass would be much more of a chore. Are there any alternative attachement methods here? Any other recommdations?
I apologize for the rambling post, but I hope that there's something here to be kicked-around (not me please, I'm new to the forum). If anyone has pictures of their oversized beds with their heaters, and especially their attachment methods, it would be very helpful to see some of your solutions.