Hotend + Heated Bed questions

Hi.

Could you help me on some questions according to the prusa i3 I am building:

1 - I bought this hotend: G3D Buda-style HotEnd v1.2. Was this a good choice? Whats the best ones on the market?

2 - I have seen some videos on youtube that seems to have some kind of yellow/gold tape on the hotend, while printing. What is it, and why is it?

3 - I assume nobody prints directly on the MK2A Heated Bed, right? On the videos I have seen everyone is using some kind of glass with aligattor clips. What is this kind of glass? where can I buy some? Is there any alternative to glass?


Thanks!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/02/2013 05:02PM by Crux.

The tape on the end of the hot end is polyimide tape also known under the 3M brand of Kapton tape. It's available from Reprap suppliers and industrial hardware supply. It's resistent to heat and will stick to hot metal.

I print to borosilicate glass attached to the heated bed with binder clips. Others use plain glass. Borosilicate is more heat resistent though costs more. It's a bit more difficult to source for a small piece and a Reprap supply house is your best bet. Some print on the bare glass, I do. I use ammonia based glass cleaner to prep the print surface. Some print on painter's tape.

Search the forums and Wiki as well as Google and you'll find a ton of info.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/02/2013 05:12PM by vegasloki.

Thank you.

Is the hotend i bought good? It was part of a bigger kit that i bought. I am not sure if this is a good one.

Yes, that hot end is fine.

I'll just add to what vegas said about the tape. The purpose of that tape is to insulate the end. If you are printing with a fan, the fan can quickly cool down the hot end, which can screw up prints. A healthy wrapping of kapton tape helps prevent the temperature drop and keeps your nozzle the temperature it's supposed to be.