400 Watt Silicone Heatebed

Hey all, I just wanted to state again how amazing the switch to a 400 watt silicone heatbed has proven. Granted I'm using a dedicated 35 Amp power supply (with an SSR) and this mat exceeds most LED power supplies that come with most I3's, but if you can swing it, the heat up times are incredible. It gets to 120c in just a few minutes. Before switching it was an unbearably long wait. Actually, using the typical hard heatbed I had rarely even got to 110c and I had written off printing with ABS. Just a note, I've also eliminated my glass in favor of 3/16" aluminum build plate and a piece of .040" PEI sheet that I got from Mcmaster/Carr. So the thermal mass is much reduced. No more tape, glue or ABS wash. It's a wonderful thing.

Nice job on that bed. It really came out great. Of all the printer upgrades I have done, switching over to the aluminum/silicone heat pad has been the most gratifying so I know what you mean.I haven't been able to print directly to the aluminum and still use PET & blue tape.I was hesitant to rough up the surface with a scouring pad. I'll look into PEI sheet.


Ray

Does it print PLA decently? Any warping?

So far PLA prints of big square objects have shown a little curling at the corners (without a brim). I'm still testing it. It's at least similar results as when using elmers or blue tape without the fight to get it off when cooled. Will post results as they come in.