{"id":15546,"date":"2018-11-27T11:43:24","date_gmt":"2018-11-27T16:43:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dyzedesign.com\/?p=15546"},"modified":"2019-08-21T08:44:55","modified_gmt":"2019-08-21T12:44:55","slug":"our-cube-pro-total-conversion-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dyzedesign.com\/fr\/2018\/11\/our-cube-pro-total-conversion-part-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Cube Pro Total Conversion: Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In this third and final part, we\u2019ll be working on the\u00a0heat bed, the controlled environment and finally the configuration for our Duet.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Heated bed<\/h2>\n

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The heated bed was quite a challenge. The original \u201cPrint Pad\u201d design is simply a glass plate with a 3mm plastic sheet glued over it. It works well with PLA, but anything else is very hard to stick. Even PETG wouldn\u2019t stick. It was crucial to add a heated bed.<\/p>\n

The original plate was easy to remove from the z-axis. We really liked this feature and wanted to keep it. The bottom had a big locating cylinder which seats in a triangular hole, on the Z axis system. 3 magnets secure the bed in place.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

1. First test – Keep the glass bed<\/h3>\n

At first, we wanted to keep it as is. The glass plate was well designed with rounded corners and magnets. It would save us a lot of time not rebuilding the same setup.<\/p>\n

Heating Pad<\/h4>\n

We contacted a silicon heating pad company for a customized design, hoping for a low MOQ order. We sent the following requirements at first:[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image= »15567″ img_size= »600×375″ alignment= »center » onclick= »link_image »][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]After some discussion, we ended up asking for a 3 wire setup. This enables us to wire it for 240VAC and 120VAC. This 3 wire set-up separate the heating pad in 2 resistance. Wiring them in series increase the resistance and is proper for 240VAC. Wiring them in parallel reduce the resistance and is proper for 120VAC.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image= »15571″ img_size= »600×474″ add_caption= »yes » alignment= »center » onclick= »link_image »][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The actual resistance path looks like a sliced layer. You can see the 4 wires (two will be merged together for one wire) and an empty space for the thermistor.<\/p>\n

We were pleased to find a company willing to do a customized heater for a single unit at a reasonable price. They offered a great service and the heated pad was shipped quickly. They offered to make this pad available on their store, you can find it here:\u00a0https:\/\/www.aliexpress.com\/store\/709519<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image= »15573″ img_size= »600×450″ add_caption= »yes » alignment= »center » onclick= »link_image »][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Spring connector<\/h4>\n

As the bed was very easy to install and remove, we wanted to keep it that way for the electrical connections too. We found Mill-Max<\/a>, a company specialized in high-reliability connectors. Their spring-loaded connectors were perfect for our situation.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image= »15575″ img_size= »full » add_caption= »yes » alignment= »center » onclick= »custom_link » img_link_target= »_blank » link= »https:\/\/www.mill-max.com\/new_products\/detail\/168″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]As we couldn\u2019t thread in the glass, we machined an aluminum block and glued it using high-temperature epoxy.<\/p>\n

Sadly, the epoxy wasn\u2019t holding well. We tried to clean the surface, sand it, glue it again, and it wouldn\u2019t stick.<\/p>\n

The pivot movement required for removing the build plate was putting a lot of stress on the glue. We had to put the spring loaded connectors away for now and use a standard high-temperature connector.<\/p>\n

Heating problems<\/h4>\n

We printed for a while using the original bed and it went well. But I\u2019m sure you know what\u2019s is going to happen once we start cranking up the heat. We had to increase the bed temperature for a high-temperature polymer in particular and something happened\u2026<\/p>\n

The plastic on top of the glass started warping and ungluing itself. We have reached the limit of this bed and now it is not usable anymore.<\/p>\n

2. Second test – Use aluminum tooling plate<\/h3>\n

Unless you\u2019ll want to stick with low bed temperature (<70\u00b0C), it is strongly advised to upgrade it too.<\/p>\n

There are two majors choices when looking for a flatbed:<\/p>\n