In the forum a lot has been written about the heatbed flatness. Now I have got my printer and this is very true.
The heatbed is so much not flat, and its flatness is considered to be so important, that it seems to me that Velleman is delivering faulty part in spite of warnings.
Now I am in position to find solution for myself. Putting the glass plate on it was proposed as workable solution but the sheer weight of the plate will additionally load the motors by plates inertia (mass).
I wonder if it would be possible to glue the plate,to cardboard isolator and both to the metal bed plate, with the heat resistant epoxy. For example the one that is declared for 160 degrees C. If the sandwich will be strongly pressed together until epoxy sets, the result could be a flat heat bad. If it fails to be flat enough the new parts purchase will be necesary, not an attractive prospect. Anybody with better idea?
Vladimir.
I wondered for a while if I should add a glass plate but decided against it because a) I was too lazy to buy one b) the added weight might make printing slower and c) mounting clips could get in the way of the hot end.
So I just kept on printing with the unflat bed and to my surprise after a while it became flat - all by itself it seems.
I guess the constant heating up and cooling down might have softened the pcb and/or aluminium bed ? I don’t know but now it’s super flat and the PLA sticks very well on the sanded and heated (55°) bed.
Hi Vladimir,
gluing two materials together in a sandwich-like structure that is supposed to be used at different temperatures might be a bad idea. Even if the heated bed PCB and the aluminum plate would be at the same temperature at all times, they still will have different thermal expansion, and you’ll have a good chance that the bed then bends even more. A “floating” setup like with a clamped mirror or glas plate is less likely to cause trouble, since it allows for thermal expansion of all components.
Cheers,
kuraasu
I have fixed the glass plate at the corners with four pieces (ca 2x2 cm) of dubbel sided tape (e.g. used for carpets). It seems to be resitant against the heat and can be removed rather easily.