Ever wanted to print something other than PLA on your MB 5thGen? Having issues with warped edges? Time to put a heated print bed (HPB) on it. MB does not have any options for an HPB so I had to make my own design. I am now able to print perfectly flat using ABS, PETG, and PLA. I am sure it will do others but have not experimented yet. The HPB will easily heat to 110° C. It will use your existing glass plate. Keep in mind that this will NOT be integrated with the MB software. You will have to manually turn off/on the HPB before/after you print. The temperature controller will maintain whatever temperature you set and I also enabled a safety feature so that if the thermocouple fails or a relay fails closed, it will automatically turn off the power supply to prevent a fire. Materials needed:
- 350w 12-24v DC power supply AMAZON
- PCB heatbed hot plate (i got the one with the LEDs already soldered) AMAZON
- 12v relay 30/40amp with wiring harness (you only need 1, i bought a 5 pack) AMAZON
- Temperature controller able to go well above 100°C AMAZON
- Some 14ga wire
- 5 amp 120v fuse and holder
- Heat shrink tubing
- 120v plug
- Masking tape
- Painters tape
- 2 paint sticks or yard sticks that are 5mm thick
- 120v LED Panel mount (to let you know if the power supply is running, not required)
- SPST panel mount switch (to turn off power to HPB but still leave the control unit on)
- 110v Power switch ( to turn the HPB and Temp Controller on/off)
- Plastic or metal enclosure 4x5x6” to hold all components (recommend plastic if you don't have a nibbler to cut metal squares/holes
- Banana female connectors for the ability to unplug Thermocouple
- High amperage 12v connector like an XT60 or Dean's for the ability to unplug the HPB.
- Both of the above connectors are recommended to be able to remove HPB and remove/replace the blue tape.
- Some soldering skills
- Some electrical skills
- Work very slowly and make sure all your connections are 100% correct prior to energizing. This is a lot of power and easy to make mistakes
Steps:
Build temperature controller
- Get plastic enclosure box and cut out square opening for Temperature Controller
- Drill holes for the banana plugs, switches, power cables and anything you need in/out of the box
- Refer to the wiring diagram on how everything ties together
- Use 14ga wire for anything that will have high current
- Refer to Inkbird on how the temperature controller operates for the ITC-100RH
- Be sure to ground your power supply and case if using a metal box
- Remember you are dealing with 120v in the case. Be careful if operating with case open and any shorts or incorrect wiring
Build Heated Print Bed
- Print 4 clips prior to dismantling your print bedo 100% infill, Standard resolution (200mm)
o Order of preferance on filament (PET+, ABS,PLA)
- Remove print bed tray and remove glass
- Clean glass of all material and finish with an alcohol wipe
- Store print bed plastic tray. Will no longer need
- On PCB heater, solder power connections to bottom of PCB (side with the LED connector)o Make sure the top is flat even at the solder pads
o Make sure there is solder going all the way through the PCB to ensure heating elements on top are getting power
- Cut paint sticks/yard sticks 1x235mm, 2x108mmo Maker sure the paint sticks are 5mm thick (homedepot/lowes)
- Center PCB heating element side (noticable by all the rows of traces on the board) on the glass
- Tape (masking tape) PCB to glass. Do not wrap tape around edges of glass
- Bend thermocouple tip 90° and place in center hold of PCB
- Using masking tape, put ~3 layers of tape on thermocouple to hold in center of PCB and provide some insulation
- Tape (masking tape) wood pieces to PCB as shown in pictureso Two shorter pieces are for placing on the front side with space for the thermocouple wiring
- Cover top of glass with Blue Painters tape. Wipe with an alcohol wipe. This creates a fantastic surface for all filaments. Wipe gets rid of any residue or grease on the surface.
- Install new heater print bed on bed platform
- Install clips starting top first and snap at the bottom of the platform edge
- Admire your creation
- Perform level process based on your printer. On the MB 5th gen, I first start with an auto level then finish with a manual level.o Turn off printer
o Manually turn bed Z rod to move the print bed to within a couple mm of the print head
Use a paper towel or something as this has grease on it
You will want to recoat the rod after you are done with grease as this should be done periodically anyways
o Manually move the print head to the center of the print bed
o Use a business card and bring print bed up to the thickness of the business card. You should be able to move the business in an out with minimal friction
o Move the print head to the front center
o Measure with business card again. Adjust front/back knob to same friction as center
o Move print head to rear center, measure and adjust. Do this several times to get front and back as close as possible
o Move print head to right center, then left center and adjust the left/right knob until the exact same
o Do this process several times to get the entire surface of the print bed the same height.
o Keep in mind that the glass may not be 100% flat and that the print head rods may also not be 100% flat. I ALWAYS print with a raft on the MB to eliminate as much unlevel as possible
- Once you have everything setup and operational, the below settings should get you started. Adjust for your brand of filament. This entire setup also helps in eliminating any variances you may be seeing by your room temperature. Before I had to put the printer in a closet with a space heater as my house was too cold causing a lot of warping. Now with the HPB I don't have to use a space heater, my prints are near 100% flat and I am able to do stronger filaments.
- Filament starting temperature (all numbers in C)o ABS HPB 110° Extruder 235° Speed 90% (Infill,inset, raft)
