How to avoid scratching print bed with spring steel plate?
Hi!
I have my MK3 printer running for a week now, and I noticed that I already scratched the print bed in one of the back corners with the steel plate. I assume this happened when the magnets grab the plate and pull it down on the back, and when I then correct the position a bit, before I let it fully snap down.
'Correcting the position' means I move the steel plate while its edge is in contact with the print bed, pulled down by the magnets, until the two pins on the back are in good position. The edge of the plate must have scratched the print bed during this. And 'scratched' means that the black top coating is scraped off and I see metal shining through, presumably the heating wires. I don't want to continue doing this until the metal wires are broken...
But the magnets are so strong that I do not manage to position the plate to align with the pins while it is still in the air, so I have no idea how to move it without scratching.
How can I avoid this? How do you avoid this? Does anyone notice this problem? I found nothing in the forum about this and no guide how to put on the plate smoothly.
Re: How to avoid scratching print bed with spring steel plate?
if there are sharp edges, use a deburring tool to clear them off!
I try to make safe suggestions,You should understand the context and ensure you are happy that they are safe before attempting to apply my suggestions, what you do, is YOUR responsibility. Location Halifax UK
Re: How to avoid scratching print bed with spring steel plate?
I noticed the sharp edges on the steel build plates when I got a spare for my MK3. The same for the steel plate in the MK2S -> MK2.5 kit.
I use water sand paper git 400 followed by git 800 to gently round the edges. Just enough to remove the sharp edge.
This will prevent scratches on the magnet PCB heat build plate.
Have a look at my models on Printables.com 😉
Re: How to avoid scratching print bed with spring steel plate?
For me I find there is very little if any pull from the magnets if the sheet it set against the posts at a steep enough angle. You can 'walk' it in. Earlier I would say that the rest position of the extruder is too low to allow me to lay it in at this steep angle, but recently from practice I would say it is just barely high enough. In fact today I was able to do it with one hand. Removal is still a two handed operation though.
Re: How to avoid scratching print bed with spring steel plate?
I found just the opposite--something got between the heat bed and the steel build plate and now the PEI on the the back of the sheet is scratched in several places. And I regularly clean the bed as well as the plate! 😮
Stuff happens...
That's "MISTER Old Fart" to you!
Re: How to avoid scratching print bed with spring steel plate?
A piece of kapton tape would do it. Place it around the positioning screws on heated bed. Kapton is thin enough to not vause any problems with bed leveling