When it comes to 3D printing, there are several methods you can use to help anchor the print to the print bed–painters tape (blue tape), hairspray, glass with a little adhesive… While all of those are useful for keeping the print stuck to the print bed, getting them off is a different story altogether.
Depending on the material you use, with PLA and ABS being the most common, I’m sure you’ve turned to creative methods to remove your creations from a print bed. Perhaps you’ve dissolved adhesive using isopropyl, a spatula, a claw hammer or an excessive amount of vice-grips and your foot. Suffice it to say, using any one of those methods can result in a ruined or broken print, which can make for a bad and often costly day.
Fleks3D has the answer. Last time we saw what they were doing, we knew one of our biggest problems with 3D printing would go away overnight. Now, the team is back with more options for the build plate that makes 3D print removal dead simple.
The Fleks3D build plates are now available for a wider selection of 3D printers and in a wider variety of sizes. To get around the issue of print removal, Viktor Jondal and Peter Ragonett have designed a novel solution for the Fleks3D build plate system. Instead of pulling, scraping or dissolving the print from the bed, users simply ‘pop it off’ by flexing the plate that uses a proprietary texture to grip the first print layer. The pair of Makers has made a frame (RapidFrame) as well, which allows for rapid plate replacement, doubling to keep the build-plate from warping and level with no need for readjustments between prints.
The Fleks3D includes several different sizes to fit most desktop printers, including 6 X 6, 8 X 8 and 10 X 10-inch sizes available as build plate alone or as a system with the frame. For MakerBot Replicators, the pair has created customized plates that are ‘fine-tuned’ to the Replicator 5th-gen, 2 and 2X models. New this year are the print beds for Delta 3D Printers, including build plates for 8″ Standard Delta Printers and (the ever so awesome) OverLord DreamMaker.
Victor and Peter were successful in their original Kickstarter campaign back in 2014, bringing in over $13,000, and their latest campaign hit over $61,000. Those looking to get their hands on one or several can pre-order the plates or systems on the flesk3d website for a March 2016 delivery.
