can anyone post up a pic here of what the bottom of a print (specifically PETG HF, or PLA) looks like using this plate? I want a smooth plate so I have that option (right now I have the inlcuded textured PEI plate) but I don’t want to spend the $ on this one if it’s not smooth and I can’t find pics online.
Hi Josh,
This isn’t exactly what you asked for, but… personally for PETG/PLA I’d get the Bambu SuperTack Pro (or if you have H2D/S maybe something similar like Biqu Glacier). It’s silky-smooth and needs no glue.
I have an H2C (limited plate options at the moment), with the default textured PEI, the Engineering plate, and the STP. For me personally nothing sticks to the Engineering plate w/out glue… in fact I have no examples of PETG or PLA on it because they didn’t stick and I didn’t want to glue.
Here’s a pic (you didn’t ask for… LOL) of some black PETG HF printed on the STP plate, on the right, next to the same piece printed on the PEI textured plate, on the left, for comparison. The shiny part in the middle is a top surface from the same filament and with the same pattern as the bottom. Printed with a .6mm nozzle, probably .62 line width.
You can see the STP plate has a lovely matte finish, very very smooth. Wish I could get a top surface like that!
I don’t have a great example of the Engineering plate… all the stuff I’ve printed on that is either in use or is translucent PC… not great for pictures! So far I’ve used it for ASA and PC, which both stick great with glue But after the glue is removed, I’d say the surface is a tiny bit… maybe not rougher, but not as silky smooth as the STP plate. Still way smoother than the textured plate, no comparison. I’ll try to find a good example/pic of some ASA or black PC if no one beats me to it.
Cheers,
-Max
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Thank you! That helps immensely… I will go for that plate on my next order!
Also, if you want killer top surfaces then follow this guide… its amazing, works much better than ironing (which can be finicky) for me.
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That’s a great guide, thanks! Two points in there I was trying to figure out just earlier today in fact, something I didn’t understand with the solid infill pattern on small areas. Amazing timing!
-Max
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For PETG and PLA, i’m now a big fan of the Fysetc Cryonix plate (have to order from AliExpress). It has a very fine matte texture, similar to fine sandpaper. It has great adhesion and it costs like 12€ for the X1C.
Bambu says the Engineering plate always requires glue, and they claim THEIR GLUE, but I swear by 3DLAC which always seems to work good.
So I did a deeper dive into plate surface finishes. Or maybe dove off the deep end… you decide! 
Printed the same piece on the Engineering plate that I already had from the textured and Super Tack Pro plates. Same roll of PETG HF, same nozzle size and slicing settings. As before, .6mm nozzle, .62 line width.
So indeed the Engineering plate has a bit more texture to it. However the biggest difference isn’t visual… it’s the freakin’ glue [stick} on the EP. The STP example came off the plate as you see it. The EP sample looked clean enough… 'till I went to wash it off and then you can really feel the glue. Hot water and dish soap gets it off, as does alcohol, but what a pain.
Also, if you print over old glue [stick] that has been printed on already, you’re likely to end up with permanent marks on the bottom surface. The pictures below are of the same piece as the others but I printed it before washing off the plate (I did apply a bit of fresh glue on top of the old). The last thing I printed on it was a filament spool with hexagonal pattern walls (in PC translucent). You can see the pattern… and I can’t get it off the surface of this piece, not with super hot water/soap/scrubbing nor 91% iso. It’s kinda baked-in… subtle but fairly obvious. Perhaps the phenomenon could be used for creative effect!
Cheers,
-Max
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this looks like that the plastic was extruded on top of the old, stacked glue. Better spread out the glue before next print by using scrapers and ipa and a little bit of hot water:
this is my previous attempt and it’s working pretty well for me.
A glue stick spreader is a good idea. I tried with an IPA-soaked cloth, and a sponge… messy and couldn’t get it very even. Mostly I’m just spreading out my prints, then washing. Tried to get lazy this time, and a cheap lesson learned. My hot water is ~100 yards/meters away in the main house, which currently requires crossing a frozen tundra… not very motivating.
I think heating up the plate a bit in the printer first would also help spread out the glue.
Wonder if one of those rubber scrapers for spreading ink on silk screen prints would work well. Nice stiff rubber edge… might have some of those around here somewhere, will have to check!
-Max
Great test - thank you for sharing!
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