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What is the best way to remove the heating element from the glass?

Discussion in 'Mods and Upgrades' started by Robert Foreman, May 5, 2016.

  1. WZ9V

    WZ9V Active Member

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  2. WheresWaldo

    WheresWaldo Volunteer ( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°)
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    I am using the same heater @daniel871 linked to. But I have a bigger power supply and use a relay to power the heater direct from the power supply. Works great and heats fast.
     
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  3. Robert Foreman

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    Have you got instructions or pictures on how to set that up. I at some point want to replace the heater. What power supply are you using?
     
  4. WheresWaldo

    WheresWaldo Volunteer ( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°)
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  5. Robert Foreman

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    Thanks. That is going to be my next step.
     
  6. David Sparrow

    David Sparrow Member

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    How did the aluminum do for weight, did the extra weight of the aluminum (1/4 inch thick) affect the print quality?
     
  7. Robert Foreman

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    No problem with weight that I can see. The print quality so far has been great. Here is a picture of two playing card holders I printed. The one on the left was printed with a .3mm layer height and the right was a .1mm layer height.
     

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  8. David Sparrow

    David Sparrow Member

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    Thank you so much that helps alliviate my fear. Mine will be a little heavier because I'm putting a layer of PEI on top of it and a silicone heating pad that is 9x11 inches (print area of my printer after switching to from rails to rods.
     
  9. Robert Foreman

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    Your welcome. It is the best upgrade I have done so far. I have some PEI sheets also but have not seen a need to use them yet. :)
     
  10. WZ9V

    WZ9V Active Member

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    I'm ordering a Silicone Heater like that 240mm x 310mm (a little bigger than needed) and switching to a DC/AC SSR to run 120V at 3A to make it a 360W heater. I chose the size to cover pretty much the entire bottom glass from edge to edge inside the bed holders. I figure since it will go past the printable edge it will help keep the entire printable area heated.
     
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  11. David Sparrow

    David Sparrow Member

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    That is nice, I should have considered a larger heated area than print surface. Maybe next time. I continued with the 12v pad and went to 180 watts using a DC to DC SSR. I probably should have gone to a DC to AC SSR and gotten a 110volt pad that would have been attached to mains power but I didn't consider that at the time. I would have been safer than running high amp 12v. Granted I'm using 10 gauge 900 strand wires so I'm safe but still would have been better to pass less amps through the SSR.
     
    #31 David Sparrow, May 13, 2016
    Last edited: May 13, 2016
  12. Wild8Wire

    Wild8Wire Member

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    Earlier posts were discussing the cork. What's the purpose of the cork? Is it just an insulator to prevent the heating element from touching the bolt heads below?
     
  13. Geof

    Geof Volunteer Moderator
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    I think more to keep the heat towards the bed but yes an insulator
     
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  14. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Exactly. To reflect more heat back up towards the bed. The heating pads they use are not terribly directional. This helps keep the heat concentrated to the bottom of the bed.
     
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  15. Robert Foreman

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    Yea I found that once I got the cork back on, the bed heated up faster due to the heat being directed up into the aluminum.
     
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  16. Wild8Wire

    Wild8Wire Member

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    Interesting; thanks for clarifying. I've got a replacement cork board coming because mine keeps sagging, and scraping the bolt heads. Seems like it was absorbing more heat than it reflected in my case.
     
  17. Geof

    Geof Volunteer Moderator
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    More aluminum tape my friend :) mine did the same thing so now....well let's just say there is enough tape that it CANT sag lol
     
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  18. Robert Foreman

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    Yep I had to use a lot of aluminum tape also. :)
     
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  19. WZ9V

    WZ9V Active Member

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  20. Wild8Wire

    Wild8Wire Member

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    Thanks for the suggestions! The double-sided tape might work, if the cork board is only sagging and not expanding.

    The PEI sheet is definitely something I'm considering, so I don't have to work directly a glass board any more. It's a definite solution if I break my heating element removing it from the old plate.
     

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