Ultimaker2 HotBed (Thermal-Barrier)

thingiverse

I've designed these simple parts for testing directly on the heated print bed. My goal is to find out and change the following: * Will it fit? Since I haven't printed it yet, that's a valid question:-) ...YES: The front measures 231mm while left & right measure 206mm. * Can I achieve a visual improvement with this? Since I despise that huge air gap between the support plate and print bed ...YES: I like it a lot better than before. And it doesn't compromise functionality in any way, as the adjusting screws are still easily accessible. * Can I significantly reduce the warm-up time of the heated print bed? At present, warming up from 20 ° to 66 ° Celsius takes almost 10 minutes ...NO...NEVER: The warm-up time shows no significant shortening. In fact, most of the heat radiation goes straight up and only a little escapes to the sides. * Can I achieve slightly better temperature stability? Maybe I'll even save some energy? ...MAYBE: Let's wait for the next electricity bill:-) To be honest, I have no hope of saving some energy with this little change. Despite everything, I believe that the panels improve temperature stability a bit. But I can't prove my assumption ... * I print exclusively PLA ... Will it possibly deform near the hottest areas (... max.70 ° Celsius)? ...MAYBE LATER: But I've only done short tests without additional coating. I mounted the panels with applied aluminum foil. The panels will be noticeably warm, and they'll probably visibly deform someday. The question remains open for now ... Will a slowly occurring deformation make objects completely useless? Of course, whoever has the chance should make these panels of a material that remains dimensionally stable at higher temperatures. * Do I also need a heat-reflective material, such as self-adhesive aluminum foil, near the hottest areas? ...YES: I think the main purpose of the aluminum foil is to preserve the structure of the panels. In other words, PLA panels will remain dimensionally stable in the long term only with the aluminum foil ...