I went hunting for new bed surfaces the other day on AE (Ender 3 clone and Bambu X1C), and I veered off into other materials. That got me thinking about further possibilities.
The regular options I've seen/used:
- Material/coating: Glass, PEI, PET, PEO, G10 (and G11)
- Textures: Smooth, matte ('textured'), coarse matte, faceted, carbon fiber
I'd like to put together a table of materials, finishes, coating vs. solid, recommended filament, max temperature, price, etc.
Finding G10 made me think that, really, ANYTHING can be a print surface as long as it isn't toxic and displays decent adhesion to filament. Then I stumbled on to carbon fiber sheets, which got me thinking about patterned surfaces. I looked around but didn't find many.
So, what else is out there?
Is it possible/reasonable to make my own surface textures, and if so, is there any info on the depths of etching or useful techniques?
Edit: Just found these PEY sheets. Apparently they're smooth and the only selling point is that they're sparkly.
You've covered most of the common types, or the types of bed material that are purposely designed for printing:
https://all3dp.com/2/3d-printer-bed-how-to-choose-the-right-build-plate/ https://www.matterhackers.com/news/choosing-the-right-3d-print-bed-surface
But you're right, the sky really is the limit here. You can print on just about anything, especially if you're printing with a material that doesn't strictly require a heated bed (like PLA). If you need a heated bed, then the material needs to be at least a bit thermally conductive.
Yup. I have seen a few people print directly onto loose-weave textiles. Apparently it's good for certain cosplay armor pieces.