D-BOT Low Level Glass and Ally Heatbed With Silicone AC Heat Mat

thingiverse

This is my current 300mm x 300mm setup on my D-BOT. Lower mounting points have been used for the bed support springs, yielding about 10mm in build height gain. The bed comprises two laser-cut alloy plates (3mm and 2mm thick respectively), which sandwich together a 6mm thick 300mm square cork mat from Amazon for insulation, and a 300mm square silicone AC heat mat secured with M3 bolts. On top of this setup sits a 3mm thick borosilicate glass plate. I'm aware that the debate surrounding glass and alloy beds exists, but I had already purchased the glass on impulse, so I decided to give it a try. It's possible to replace the top alloy plate with one 6mm thick and omit the glass altogether, which is something I may attempt in the future. However, this setup works perfectly for me at present. I'm able to print ABS with good results, and the bed heats up to 120c in a couple of minutes. The cables for the heater mat exit at the rear centre of the heat bed, so I created a cable carrier to support them until they reach the cable chain that takes them down to the SSR. It's also essential to Earth both alloy plates for safety reasons. Use AC power responsibly! All printed parts are ABS. Don't bother using PLA or PETG if you plan to use the bed at temperatures above 60c, as it will simply melt. A .step file of the assembly is included for you to modify and experiment with.