Upgrading the 3D printer with the BuildTak Flex Plate System

The Why

I had been using a plate of borosilicate glass for better print adhesion to the build surface. For the most part this worked well, especially for the price. The glass cost less than $15 on Amazon when I bought it. However, to keep it secure to the printer bed, I had to use binder clips. Initially one would think "why not print clips to hold it?" but the problem is that when the bed is heated, those clips would soften. On top of that, the glass size was different than the bed size making clip design hard.

I had wrestled with the idea of getting a BuildTak flex plate system since before the glass bed. Though the cost of it made me shy away for the longest time, coming in at just shy of $100 shipped. After enough frustration of binder clips popping off and the print shifting mid-print and ruining it, I finally made the jump.

The Ordering

I ordered the system on their website, https://www.buildtak.com. All I had to do was find my printer in the drop down and voila, there was the correct size. Admittedly, I originally still managed to click the wrong one (it was late, and I was tired). I noticed the next morning and gave them a call. A real person actually answered the phone and they helped me correct the order before they shipped it. Awesome customer service over there.

The How

Despite my initial (unfounded) fears, the install was pretty easy an straightforward. I won't parrot their install instructions here but they are short and very straight forward. I would however recommend heating the build plate prior to trying to peel off the original build sheet. Be careful though as to not burn yourself. I had mine around 80C and made the mistake of touching it a few times while scraping. It could have been worse, but it was not pleasant.

The Results

I am very happy with the results so far. One of the best parts is I don’t have to worry about my fan on the printer head knocking off some binder clip and shifting the print. Also on larger prints, to get them off I wont have to fight them with the scraper. All I have to do is twist the build plate and it pops off. I might later on get a second flex plate (just the removable part) so I can pull one part out when its done, and toss in the clean plate and go again with minimal downtime when doing batches. This would speed it up not having to wait for one part to cool before pulling it off.

Glad I finally made the jump and got it. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

This post was NOT sponsored by BuildTak or any of their affiliates.

Links

3D Printer – Monoprice Maker Ultimate: https://amzn.to/2KwtRhB

BuildTak: https://www.buildtak.com

3D Printer Upgrade: BuildTak Flex Plate System