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ROBO R1+ aluminum bed?

Discussion in 'Mods and Upgrades' started by Luke, Aug 22, 2016.

  1. Luke

    Luke New Member

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    So I have been thinking about pulling the glass bed off of my robo, to have a good look at exactly how it works, so I can craft an aluminum bed in place of the glass bed that the printer comes with for a few reasons. First off I will be able to make a better system to hold the heat pad into place (off the shelf it's taped into place, *smh*).

    The main idea though is that it will theoretically make the entire bed hot when the pad is hot, rather than just the 8.4x8.4 inch square section that gets hot stock.

    Any thoughts? Will it work, or will it be too much strain on the heating pad?
     
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  2. danzca6

    danzca6 Well-Known Member

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    OR you buy a 12V kapton bed heater that is say 200x250 so that most of the actual build area is heated. Agreed that the aluminum will more likely transfer the heat better. Say an 1/8 sheet cut to the size of the original bed and you glue new magnets onto the ends and install a new heater. You really don't need the full plate heated, just the build area. I like the idea...in fact...I may or may not be looking to do something similar ;) Your ideas should work. Won't have to worry about breaking or chipping the glass and that is a plus.

    What is your thoughts about a better system to hold the heat pad into place?
     
  3. danzca6

    danzca6 Well-Known Member

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  4. Luke

    Luke New Member

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    Not exactly sure yet, like I said I need a look under there to see how everything can fit. Some kind of clamping bracket. "clamping bracket" it makes it sound crude, but the design would be integrated into the printer so that you wouldn't see it from the outside, and light, as to not add much weight to the bed. More weight, slower prints. In fact while I am there I may even do a little house cleaning and see how much I can shave off. Redesign most of the parts if I need to. Taking away the glass would give me some weight back too. Lighter bed assembly= better prints.
     
  5. danzca6

    danzca6 Well-Known Member

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    Agreed
     
  6. danzca6

    danzca6 Well-Known Member

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    You know the tapped on heater actually works very well. Then there is a thin sheet of cork over the heater to insulate. They use HVAC tape around the edges to hold the cork. The actual heater is fully glued and is a bit of a chore to remove but can be done. So I don't think you need to reengineer the way the heater is adhered to the bed.
     
  7. Luke

    Luke New Member

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    Long story short, I have had 2 robo printers. The first was sent back due to issues with the controller. On both printers, the tin tape has slowly pealed away from the heat, causing an annoying sound while the bed is in motion while the tape is rubbing across parts. Gravity beats tape. Look at the heater on a makerbot 2x (or a creator pro) That's a great bit of engineering. (actually that whole printer. Much better than what makerbot does now).
     
  8. danzca6

    danzca6 Well-Known Member

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    Well that is why I went out and got a roll of the HVAC tin tape and put strips of tape tight across the whole sheet of cork. No pealing not drooping over the past year. Works pretty well. Actually, mine came with no cork and Robo sent me a sheet and some strips of the tin tape. So I installed it myself. Not sure if installing it all myself made the difference, but has been working great.
     
    #8 danzca6, Aug 22, 2016
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2016
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  9. jim3Dbot

    jim3Dbot Active Member

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    Ordered yesterday from Ebay.............300mm x 200mm................I'll tear down & check it out..........arrives Thursday..........preliminary work I've calculated, possibly?.............. 1 oz copper, 0.062" wide traces, may = 1.21ohms which should draw 10amps @ 12v.......track length 8.5', serpentine configuration ...........which should give a 125 degree C rise in trace temperature...........those are very preliminary figures......Lets see what they did.............total cost with shipping.........~$25.00..........Take Care
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    Have one to sell? Sell now
    Details about MK2A 300x200 mm PCB Heated Hot Bed for RepRap 3D Printer Prusa i3 Upgrade
     
  10. danzca6

    danzca6 Well-Known Member

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    Thanks Jim. I was going to say last night that a PCB could be a better option with a piece of bor glass
     

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