G10 Sheet on a Prusa MK3S+
The origins of this mod is Maker Muse's video on G10 print surface.
I managed to put a G10 print bed onto a Prusa MK3S+. You need a some sort of single sided spring steel sheet, I happen to have a Creality one, but you need one that has the bare spring steel exposed. You also need a G10 sheet that is 1mm thick. Aliexpress has 250mm x 250mm x 1mm sheets. Then you must set your PINDA such that it is only about 1mm above the tip of your nozzle (it should be fine if you follow the card method in the assembly guides). Set the spring steel sheet bare metal side UP then clip the G10 on top of the spring steel. This really pushes the limit of the tolerance of the available space for the PINDA to work. IF you encounter the tip of the nozzle colliding with the G10, the printer will throw an error. This means your PINDA probe needs to be lowered more. If you get it right, there will be just enough space for the PINDA to complete its mesh leveling and then you can do the Live-Z adjustment.
I only did one test print so far using PLA, and it is glorious. It sticks harder when hot and auto releases when cold better than PEI and the surface finish is more glossy than even smooth PEI.
RE: G10 Sheet on a Prusa MK3S+
Great info, thanks for sharing.
Cheers
RE: G10 Sheet on a Prusa MK3S+
One more thing is that the binder clip needs to only just grab the edge of the G10 sheet. If the clip is pushed all the way in, it may collide with the extruder during the mesh leveling step.
RE: G10 Sheet on a Prusa MK3S+
There's a guy on etsy that makes these mounted to a steel sheet. I love em. https://www.etsy.com/shop/HoldenEnterprises?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=1240331949
RE: G10 Sheet on a Prusa MK3S+
I managed to improve on the mod with a 0.5mm G10 sheet ($9) glued down with glue stick on MK3S sized bare spring steel sheet ($13) found on Aliexpress.
It's not perfectly fit, but much cheaper than the Etsy option. The use of glue stick is for easy application and maintenance as the G10 sheet will eventually wear out and need replacement. The glue stick washes off easily with water.
The thinner G10 sheet gives better clearance for the PINDA sensor. I applied the glue stick across the entire surface of the spring steel sheet so that the G10 doesn't warp from heat as the thinner sheet is prone to mentioned in MakerMuse's video.
RE: G10 Sheet on a Prusa MK3S+
Thanks for sharing. Any updates on the 0.5mm mod you've tried - longevity issues etc. How does it compare vs both the textured and smooth PEI sheet so far? Any advantages other than cost?
RE:
Just checking...did you glue the G10 to the Prusa spring steel plate AND use glue stick on the surface. I just wanted to make sure I read that right.
Also, what size is the sheet that people are using and/or are there links to the Aliexpress items?
RE: G10 Sheet on a Prusa MK3S+
the glue stick is only to adhere the G10 sheet to the spring steel sheet. the G10 surface does not require anything as a print bed. the common sizes on Ali are all squares like 250mm x 250mm, there's no custom size for the Prusa
RE: G10 Sheet on a Prusa MK3S+
Heads up for other folks looking at these.
I ordered one, the material quality of the steel and the g10 sheet itself was very good, but the one I received was not cut square and it didn't cover the entire print volume by about 2mm in one corner.
I had a very odd interaction with the seller, maybe I caught him on an off day or something.
When contacting him about it and asking for an exchange or return, the response was (paraphrased) "I can't help you, these are hand made".
It felt like he was on the defensive from the get-go and I ended up just asking for a return since his initial response was so curt and dismissive.
I followed up with him a day later to try and better illustrate the issue and extend a branch, so to speak.
He asked me to return it and order from someone else.
I don't think what I received was indicative of the usual quality based on reviews and photos folks have posted.
If you get one that works for you it's a good concept and design. I hope my experience was just an outier.
RE: G10 Sheet on a Prusa MK3S+
I bought the LayerLock Garolite printing build surface from Matterhackers and a bare spring steel sheet before I did my research. I've been happy with these, though the SKU they list specifically for the i# MK3S is a tad on the short side. I have used these sheets for PLA and PETG exclusively thus far, not putting anything on the build surface and using standard temps when printing. The prints just pop right off with next to no force as long as I wait for the print bed to cool.
I've since bought G10 FR4 sheets from mcmaster-carr in 1/32" and some bare spring steel sheets from ebay, aliexpress, and the gentleman on etsy referenced in this thread. I'm glad I found this thread today because I was going to stick the G10 to the spring steel with 3M double sided, high temp tape (which I understand would be next to impossible to remove later down the road). Going to give the glue stick option a try!