Printable View
For those DIYers amongst us, the next step after getting the hang of making and using printers with 200 x 200 beds is to build bigger printers. It is a simple task to scale up most of the DIY designs (RepRap etc), but the biggest problem is how to make a bigger heatbed. I'm not talking about 300 x 300, which I think is commercially available. I'm talking BIG, like 1200 x 1200.
Let's discuss how to make such a big heated bed.
Old Man Emu
Multiple large kapton film heaters bonded to an aluminium bed run off a pid temperature controller connected to a thermocouple. The technology's mature and reliable. Strictly speaking, you don't need your printer controller controlling your heat bed.
Using the dimensions quoted, you would need 10 of these heaters: 2 across = 112cm and 5 down = 1250 cm. That would leave a 40 cm gap in the middle, or two 20cm borders, or three gaps 10-20-10.
Any idea of the price of these heaters?
Old Man Emu
www.omega.co.uk has a heater selection tool. They have a couple of options for heating surfaces - silicone heating mats and their kapton equivalent. The silicon seems lower priced. You can get an 8 inch by 12 inch 230V mat for GBP 35.50. It makes it expensive, yes, but how does it compare to getting custom PCBs made to fit?
Take a look at the site. There may be other more cost-effective solutions that will suit.
I think the first principle, given the power draw required, is to separate control of the heat bed from the standard controller.