Qidi Tech 1 - Replicator 1 clone

[DarkAlchemist]

A VERY good tip indeed!

Make sure your using at least commercial grade borosilicate glass, scientific grade is better. Most windows are standard grade boro...one step below commercial. The thermal properties are horrible, and it is possible to get stress and heat cracks in such low grade glass.

A good place to look locally for glass is any place that does custom bathroom (shower) enclosures as these typically use commercial grade boro-glass.

Purchased my first glass plate from MC Master Carr...only to find out later there is company locally that does bathroom enclosures, used the higher end of commercial grade boro, and cuts me plates for $10 a piece. And to add insult to injury their shop is about 4 blocks from me lol....

McMaster is not badly priced at all but the shipping kills it if you can get commercial grade boro locally. I am not sure if I can locally here and if I could I am sure they would charge far too much but I will call the main place in my city the next time I need some. What exactly would I ask the local glass shop for? hint: Whatever your answer make it in very simple words for them because they are not the brightest bulb in the package any single time I have had to deal with them (metric makes them mad too).

[jfkansas]

Most window glass is just soda lime float glass. Actual Boro is hard to find. Even stuff that is marketed as Boro is a lot of times just Soda Lime glass.

[KludgeGuru]

Most window glass is just soda lime float glass. Actual Boro is hard to find. Even stuff that is marketed as Boro is a lot of times just Soda Lime glass.

I just went to Home Depot and got a sheet of 1/8" glass and cut it myself. I was able to make 2 build platforms from one sheet. It is not Boro but it works fine, many heat cycles so far. I stuck it to the maghold spring steel plate with 3M transfer adhesive.

[JSensebe]

DarkAlchemist, good tip about heating the plate to remove the sticker. I hadn't thought about it, but it makes perfect sense.

My thought about the air holes was purely hypothetical. I'm not planning on drilling holes into my plate any time soon. I'm not looking into making any mods, not even adding glass, until I become a little more experienced. I barely know what I'm doing right now. I'm a smart guy and I read up (a lot) before buying the printer, but nothing beats experience. I'm dreading the day something goes really wrong.

[Syd_Khaos]

DarkAlchemist, good tip about heating the plate to remove the sticker. I hadn't thought about it, but it makes perfect sense.

My thought about the air holes was purely hypothetical. I'm not planning on drilling holes into my plate any time soon. I'm not looking into making any mods, not even adding glass, until I become a little more experienced. I barely know what I'm doing right now. I'm a smart guy and I read up (a lot) before buying the printer, but nothing beats experience. I'm dreading the day something goes really wrong.

Don't dread it man.
I am the same way...I read alot before I jump into stuff. And I was also under the impression that a 3d printer was a complex machine.

What it does is complex...but from a mechanical/engineering standpoint these are very simple machines. The first week I was nervous about taking bits apart or making any modifications.
This only lasted till the first time I had to take it apart. Now I can strip the entire extrusion block down to single parts, clean it, and get it together ready to run in about an hour. My machine has many mods already done to it, and several more planned.

I totally understand that toes on the edge feeling, but with this machine I would advise to take that plunge sooner rather than later. Once ya do in a month you will be pro at maint and cleaning breakdown and have a modded machine working more how you want it to.

If nothing else you should consider printing a wire-chain for the gantry wire bundle on right side of machine. The way its run stock...it's just not good...it can pinch, and that leads to cracking or shorts. There is a good one on Thingiverse that several of us in this thread are using.

edit:
Ohhhyea..
Forgot to show this. Don't recall who, but someone had neo magnets on their door machine.
Nice high-tech and hands-free solution.

Here is my low-tech, not so hands-free solution:

=P

[cncartist]

I like heating the build plate up to 90c for removal of the blue sticker.

edit:
Ohhhyea..
Forgot to show this. Don't recall who, but someone had neo magnets on their door machine.
Nice high-tech and hands-free solution.

Yours is a nice design for sure, I was going to print them but I had the magnets lying around and figured I'd try em out and they are still there today.

The magnets I used are held with some shipping tape:
https://youtu.be/TK8cJTt9LEg?t=1m03s

[DarkAlchemist]

I like heating the build plate up to 90c for removal of the blue sticker.



Yours is a nice design for sure, I was going to print them but I had the magnets lying around and figured I'd try em out and they are still there today.

The magnets I used are held with some shipping tape:
https://youtu.be/TK8cJTt9LEg?t=1m03s

Better wear gloves when touching 90c for sure, lol.

[Syd_Khaos]

Still got some cleanup to do and seal the seams in with slurry...but already looking pretty good.

[cncartist]

Surprisingly at 90c it isn't too bad but obviously I don't directly touch the build plate at that temperature. I use the scrape tool to lift one corner of the blue sticker and then I grab the lifted corner with a cloth after it cools down to probably 50-60c. From there I can peel it with my hand without getting burnt and I'd be glad to do a video of it just like the one I showed for cleaning the build plate. FYI, I tried it at 60c + 70c previously but it ended up leaving a lot of the residue behind and at 90c almost all of the glue is lifted with the blue sticker.

Still got some cleanup to do and seal the seams in with slurry...but already looking pretty good.
image

Looking pretty sweet, can't wait to see it finished!

[DarkAlchemist]

Surprisingly at 90c it isn't too bad but obviously I don't directly touch the build plate at that temperature. I use the scrape tool to lift one corner of the blue sticker and then I grab the lifted corner with a cloth after it cools down to probably 50-60c. From there I can peel it with my hand without getting burnt and I'd be glad to do a video of it just like the one I showed for cleaning the build plate. FYI, I tried it at 60c + 70c previously but it ended up leaving a lot of the residue behind and at 90c almost all of the glue is lifted with the blue sticker.



Looking pretty sweet, can't wait to see it finished!

Yep, a vid would be nice for people.