I have been on the lookout for a suitable build plate for my H2D for a while, with the standard textured PEI having “room for improvement”, with regards to reliability of adhesion. I struggled to find the right one (for me) and am willing to share my experience here. TLDR: get the Kdeavi
The market is saturated with options (some cheap, some overpriced) and people that recommend them (some of which in obviously bad faith)
I have now tested 5 different options, with varying success, only one option (so far) has fully satisfied me and is now the “always print on this plate”. Sadly it was the one i bought last.
Your preference may vary, your experience may vary. If you use another plate than the one I like the most for myself dont be offended. Also consider that different brand filaments of the same type might still adhere differently (ie. if you got your Nylon to stick does not mean the one I happen to have would too…), so it is all a bit subjective.
My preference (i.e. what I want): I print a multitude of different materials, from PLA, PETG, ABS, TPU, as well as Nylon and PC. I tend to avoid reinforced filaments but occasionally use them if i see the need. 80% of my prints are functional prints. They range from absolutely huge to tiny/delicate. If i can avoid it i prefer not to use brims or rafts or anything (but occasionally do) I absolutely hate the idea of using glue either as adhesive or as release agent, I understand that they sometimes may be necessary, under certain circumstances, but do not have to use it regularly. I am not too fuzzed with build plate texture, I always considered the textured pei sheet imprints on my prints being fine. If I can choose though i would prefer a matte satin surface. Ideally I want a plate where prints adhere well throughout the entire print. I would rather use a spatula afterwards than having a print fail because of warping, plus detached prints can cause damage to the printer (ask how I know).
Plates that i have bought:
- Textured PEI sheet (standard issue with printer)
- BIQU Glacier plate (not the frostbyte) - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007985949072.html
- Arkfly Conweb plate - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005012132288251.html
- A generic piece of 1.5mm G10 Garolite
- Kdeavi CryoClover (green plate) - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005012609582618.html
How the options did:
Textured PEI sheet: IF you manage to wash it thoroughly and keep it clean of even the slightest traces of fats/oils, it works, for the easy filaments. Had issues until i started regularly wiping with acetone. It works alright with PLA, PETG and ABS. large PLA prints tended to warp occasionally. needs brims on many instances PC and Nylon are impossible to print on it, regardless of settings/temperatures with glue or without. TPU sticks very well and can be easily released with a bit of IPA. - I stopped using it, its okay, but there are better options.
Glacier Plate: The biggest disappointment of the bunch, maybe because my expectations were too high due to many favorable reviews. Adhesion is not really better than textured PEI, had more prints come loose on this one than the PEI (yes fully cleaned, and run at the same temperature). The only advantage over the textured PEI this thing has is the texture. People claim this is good for TPU and Nylon. Have not tried TPU yet but Nylon certainly did not work. I’ll likely sell this one.
Arkfly Conweb plate: I intended it as a baseplate to glue a garolite sheet on. It is advertised as a cold plate (similar to frostbite). turns out it is more like the glacier with a different color, but slightly better adhesion, this might become my dedicated tpu plate.
Garolite sheet: gave it a sand with fine grit and a good wash. Wow! It works very well with Nylon and okay with PC, was going to test it with other filaments but then stopped. Very promising solution, but requires either spending a fortune or building a homebrew version.
The Kdeavi green plate (sold as CryoClover). Sadly I bought this last. This plate is awesome and now my standard build plate. I will probably buy a second one. I heard somewhere that Kdeavi are the oem of the od cryogrip frostbite plates (dont know if true). They also have a purple one, but advertise this one as having better adhesion, matte surface and compatible with more filaments. PLA, PETG, ABS, Nylon, PC just… sticks. For PLA and PETG i use normal bambu coolplate settings, for the rests high-temp/smooth PEI. No glue, no brims, no faffing around. just print. After the plate has cooled down prints usually are easy enough to remove. Some persuasion with a spatula may be required for smaller parts (not a problem if you’re careful). Texture is similar to the glacier (nice satin matte). Just never print TPU (apparrently some ABS blends contain TPU!), on it.
Thats it, hope it helps somebody stuck in a similar situation like me.
