Hi all,

After about two months of my CTC printer printing really nicely, I started to get prints that were either not sticking, warping or both. I finally realized my stock aluminum built plate on my CTC printer is not flat. It has a dip in the middle that has made my printing ...um...challenging. That has made me considered replacing my build bed.

To avoid confusion, I define Build plate as the main build bed, in my case the aluminum plate that the heating sheet attaches too. I define build surface as what sits on top of the bed (tape, buildtak, etc). Just so I am properly managing my expectations, are build plates considered 'consumable items'? I sure hope not.

Ideally, I am looking for a LONG term solution with little to no fuss.

Here is my top list for build plates:
- Maghold Build Plate (http://www.3dprintermods.com/prestas...roller=product) : Just a build plate, but looks pretty sturdy and less likely to warp.
- GeckoTec : This has a lot of people raving about how great it works. For $85 I get a magnetic build plate and the geckotec plate for pla/abs. My concern is longevity of the build surface.
- Glass : I really rather not deal with glass because of the glue/tape/hairspray,etc. I could be swayed if long term cost would be lower than the other options.

Here are my list of build surface options:
- BuildTak : I have tried it, not bad. It does eventually wear out and not exactly cheap. So will mostly likely discontinue use.
- GeckoTec : as above, sounds like a great option, but I am concerned about its longevity.
- Zebra/Fleks : same as GeckoTec
- Printbite : This sounds incredible, but I don't really know where to get it. again, not sure of the price or longevity.
- PEI : I have a sheet (.003" 12x12), but have not been able to test it. I realize this is also a consumable, but any thoughts on how it will last in relation to the other options? Not super excited about having to use 3M thermal tape that isn't cheap either.


At this point I am leaning toward MagHold and one of the build surface options. Any thoughts on what combination would give the results with long lasting use. I don't mind spending the money for a long lasting solution.

I am looking forward to the responses.