When a glass bed is used on a heated build platform, its temperature increases quite rapidly. The second property is more important for giving glass beds longevity. Better yet, the temperature of a glass heated bed doesn’t drop drastically because of drafts or changes in the temperature of the environment. As long as you’re patient while your glass bed heats up, you should end up with a bed that with a consistent temperature all throughout. A low thermal conductivity means that a glass bed heats slowly and evenly. Glass has two properties that make it an excellent material for a heated bed: a low thermal conductivity and a high thermal shock resistance. With the struggle of removing your print eliminated, you can be sure to preserve the quality produced by several arduous hours of printing. When done right, removing your finished print from a bed should also be nearly effortless. This smoothness transfers to the bottom of your print, making sure that they come out with very clean and flat bottom surfaces. Prints remove cleanlyīy its very nature, the surface of a glass is very smooth. It’s also very easy to spot any dirt you’ve missed with glass – a task that’s a lot harder with an aluminum bed that’s been painted black. Since glass does not corrode, you can safely clean it with some soap and water or even a quick wipe down with acetone.
Even while stored and during handling, the bed can pick up dust and oils that can severely compromise the quality of bed adhesion. After printing, your bed will likely end up with a lot of excess adhesive. The clarity and chemical stability of a glass bed makes cleanup a breeze. A high-quality tempered glass bed even has good scratch resistance, so its quality will not deteriorate even if you use a scraper or razor to remove residual adhesives. A glass bed will be flat when you buy it and will remain flat even after hundred of heating and cooling cycles. What this means is that it has less of tendency to deform under stress, whether mechanical or thermal. These deformations will worsen as you use your 3D printer, which will soon enough cause problems with bed adhesion.Ĭompared to aluminum, glass has a much higher modulus of elasticity. If it’s made of thin aluminum, then there are probably sections of it that bow down even when brand new. Consistently flatĭespite appearances, the build plate that comes with your 3D printer is probably not 100% flat. However, if you still aren’t convinced that converting to a glass bed is worth the bother and the expenses, then are a few points which may make you change your mind: 1.
What are the advantages of using a glass print bed?Ī glass bed is practically a no-brainer addition to anyone’s 3D printing accessories.
A glass bed isn’t a silver bullet for solving all your 3D printing woes – it has to be used according to a few guidelines. When used right, a glass bed will give you results that will reflect this impression quite accurately.īefore you go to a hardware store and buy a piece of glass for your print bed, make sure to read through our list of tips first. A glass bed just makes a 3D printer feel more premium and professional. While most desktop 3D printers don’t come with glass beds by default, a glass print bed is one of the first upgrades that 3D printing hobbyists and professionals make. 3D Insider is ad supported and earns money from clicks, commissions from sales, and other ways.
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