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AnnieR
(@annier)
Reputable Member
Glass plate?

Do they make, Prusa or anyone, a glass plate for the printer?

As in one that will give you that almost mirror finish to the bottom side of the print?

Posted : 09/01/2021 5:47 pm
Diem
 Diem
(@diem)
Illustrious Member
RE: Glass plate?

Do you have a smooth PEI plate?  If it's not reasonably shiny (but not mirror) then you need to check your first layer setting.

You could fit a glass plate - your local glazier will be able to cut some to size but it seems rather a backward step for a Prusa...

What are you trying to do?  In which plastic?

A coat of metallic paint, polished, will get you quite  long way.

Cheerio,

 

Posted : 09/01/2021 6:18 pm
bobstro
(@bobstro)
Illustrious Member
RE: Glass plate?

I have not seen one. It will be a challenge to use a thick, non-metallic surface with the PINDA probe. You could try coating one side of the glass with foil, then flipping it after mesh bed leveling, but then you've defeated the purpose of mesh bed leveling. Glass is often not as flat as expected.

My notes and disclaimers on 3D printing

and miscellaneous other tech projects
He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan

Posted : 09/01/2021 6:20 pm
cwbullet
(@cwbullet)
Member
RE: Glass plate?

@bobstro

This is what I did.  I had terrible results.  I did get it to work, but gave up.  

--------------------
Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog

Posted : 09/01/2021 7:00 pm
AnnieR
(@annier)
Reputable Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: Glass plate?

I'm trying to get a very shiny small surface for some print fabric, kinda like a plastic sequin would reflect light. 

If glass and foil won't work, can anyone think of any reason why a ferrotype plate would not work? If you don't know what this is, they were used by wet darkroom photographers, and still are sometimes, to get that glossy finish on photo prints before coated paper stock became common. 

It would probably stick just fine to the magnetic plate, the only thing is finding some way to cut one down to the right size. 

I'm assuming that the Magic Goo or whatever would help if the print does not want to stick. 

Anybody tried this?

Anybody know any reason why this would not work?

Thanks in advance. 

Posted : 16/01/2021 5:49 pm
AnnieR
(@annier)
Reputable Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: Glass plate?

For anyone who is interested, I borrowed a ferrotype plate from another member of my photo club and tried it. 

It sticks right to the magnetic base just fine. You need to set the live Z down about 200 points or so. It needs some stick-um to hold on the plate and both the stick glue and hairspray work just fine. 

Leaves a nice totally shiny mirror finish to the bottom of the print. 

Posted : 20/02/2021 5:19 pm
bobstro liked
cwbullet
(@cwbullet)
Member
RE: Glass plate?

@annier

Thanks,  Can you post a picture? 

--------------------
Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog

Posted : 20/02/2021 5:25 pm
Xanthe
(@xanthe)
Trusted Member
RE: Glass plate?

For anyone attempting to use a glass bed, please remember to use borosilicate glass, 'normal' (i.e. float, plate, window or mirror) glass can shatter if subjected to thermal shock.

Posted : 21/02/2021 7:09 pm
Diem
 Diem
(@diem)
Illustrious Member
RE: Glass plate?

@annier

Look up 'liquid mirror paint'  - remarkable stuff.

Cheerio,

Posted : 22/02/2021 2:23 am
AnnieR
(@annier)
Reputable Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: Glass plate?
Posted by: @cwbullet

@annier

Thanks,  Can you post a picture? 

Uh, sorry if I appear to be ignoring you but I'm not. This is just not one of the boards I check daily so I missed ya.

Yes, when I get home tonight I'll post some pictures, if I can figure out how to post them, of course. I think I've done it before here so if I did it before I can do it again. 

Posted : 27/02/2021 5:27 pm
bobstro
(@bobstro)
Illustrious Member
RE: Glass plate?
Posted by: @annier

[...] Yes, when I get home tonight I'll post some pictures, if I can figure out how to post them, of course. I think I've done it before here so if I did it before I can do it again. 

You can either drag individual images into your post as you're editing, or use the Add Media button below the subject line to batch upload them.

 

My notes and disclaimers on 3D printing

and miscellaneous other tech projects
He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan

Posted : 27/02/2021 8:32 pm
AnnieR
(@annier)
Reputable Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: Glass plate?

Hopefully this works. Had a devil of a time logging in on this borrowed computer! Had to reset password.

Anyway, tried to drag and drop, just would not work. Add media looks like it's working.

This is what I'm doing, and these are just quick snapshots, nothing I would hang in a gallery but I think you can get the idea.

This is a coarse 3d printed fabric, kind of a chain mail but made up of kind of double-H "stitches" and not chain loops. What I'm trying to show here is the very shiny sequin-like top layer, but the kitchen lights are not cooperating. This has kind of a copper tinge to it in the photo but the actual fabric is jet black with an almost mirror finish. Here are a couple swatches that have that finish that I want.

Here's a closer view ...

It's actually very flexible and you can stitch pieces together by simply twisting and linking each piece.

Now, here is how I did it. Below is a ferrotype plate. This is what "wet darkroom" photographers use with fiber-based media to get that glossy coating on prints. These were very common until maybe the 1980s. You let the wet print dry face down on the chrome surface and it would dry and pop off with a shiny surface. Yeah, this one needs cleaning. It has fingerprints and a lot of hairspray and stick glue remaining and shows outlines of prints I did. This one fits perfectly on the print bed and is held with the magnets. It sticks out the front a bit, but no biggie.

You really need to use hairspray or stick glue and turn down the Z axis calibration a bit to get it to stick. On a flat test piece I did it's smooth and shiny enough to see yourself in the plastic surface.

Posted : 28/02/2021 3:43 am
cwbullet
(@cwbullet)
Member
RE: Glass plate?

Pretty cool.  I might have to consider that as a test surface.  I never thought about an old photographic glass.  

--------------------
Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog

Posted : 28/02/2021 11:59 am
Trevor
(@trevor-4)
New Member
RE: Glass plate?

If anyone is still looking to use glass as a build plate on MK3S I have done it quite successfully and was able to print Taulman Bridge quite easily. I just went to a local glass supplier and had them cut me a 250mm x 210mm x 3mm piece (cost me $3). I changed my start g-code to:

G90 ; use absolute coordinates
M83 ; extruder relative mode
M104 S[first_layer_temperature] ; set extruder temp
M140 S[first_layer_bed_temperature] ; set bed temp
G28 W ; home all without mesh bed level
G80 ; mesh bed leveling
G1 F600 Z100.0
G1 F1000 Y200.0
G4 S120
M190 S[first_layer_bed_temperature] ; wait for bed temp
M109 S[first_layer_temperature] ; wait for extruder temp
G92 E0.0
G1 Y1.0 F1000.0 ; go outside print area
G92 E0.0
G1 X60.0 E9.0 F1000.0 ; intro line
G1 X100.0 E12.5 F1000.0 ; intro line
M221 S{if layer_height<0.075}100{else}95{endif}

My intro line is actually inside the print area. In hindsight I should have got the glass plate large enough to include the outside area for the intro line.

This start g-code allows for the mesh bed leveling on the PEI spring steel sheet and then raise the z-axis and pause for 2 min while I change out the steel sheet with the glass one.

I also applied a z-offset of the thickness difference of the steel sheet and glass plate.

I printed adaptors to hold the glass bed in the exact position I needed it (see photo). I put magnets in the front adaptor that align with the magnets in the bed. I printed this out of colorfabbs XT amphora.

Posted : 06/03/2021 3:19 pm
AnnieR
(@annier)
Reputable Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: Glass plate?
Posted by: @cwbullet

Pretty cool.  I might have to consider that as a test surface.  I never thought about an old photographic glass.  

Oh, it's not glass. It's chrome plated steel, I assume, since it sticks to the magnetic base. 

They used to be very common but not so much anymore, since most of us have gone digital for photo printing. 

Posted : 06/03/2021 5:55 pm
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