I just received the new textured PEI plate on Friday and my projects are not releasing as easily as they do on the regular black PEI plate.
Before I tried to contact Bambu, has anybody else experienced the same issue?
Thanks
By regular do you mean HIGH TEMP?
you should use glue, it helps the print stick, then release. When using PETG you NEED the glue or you will damage the plate. I just picked up the Bambu liquid glue (always used Elmers school glue sticks, the purple stuff) everything is better with the liquid glue. I just used it on my Bambu textured PEI plate (black one) with a large flat PETG project, it came off very easy.
I was using pla but I forgot how things release differently if there is a Brim. I printed something without a brim and it released just fine.
I tried a brim even though I didn’t need to and saw a marked difference too. It will help if you just remove the plate from the bed (without trying to flex it to release the print). This allows the plate and the bottom layer of the print to cool faster, so you can remove it sooner and easier.
It does make a difference when it’s cool. I went to bed before my honeycomb wall section finished. When I got up this morning, I went to remove the plate and the print started sliding as soon as I lifted the edge. And I didn’t even flex the plate.
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It looks like this post lost steam, so I’m reviving it now that the Gold PEI plate has been in the market for 4 months.
Also, It looks like they’ve removed the older black plate from the store and instead are only offering the new Gold Colored plate. The claim is that it is “more durable”. Yeah… right… when was the last time any marketer told the truth? I work in the industry and outside of color and texture, there isn’t a whole lot of difference between one PEI formula and an another. So the $4 price increase feels more like a money grab than it does like you’re getting more.
I’d like to hear from anyone else who has both. Note: I am using a P1P so no lidar or plate id function like on the X1. So for me, a plate is a plate.
Additionally, if Lidar isn’t a function, then I’d love to hear thoughts regarding this value proposition below.
My choices are, I can either:
A) Pay $37.99 plus onerous shipping charges and wait 10-14 days to get the product.
Or
B) Buy a knock-off on Amazon for $19.99 and get it in two days.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLNW6W3N/
Or
C) Get a dual-sided smooth/textured gold plate for $29.99 and get it in two days.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CB5L8T7M/
Bambu, you usually respond to competitor pressures but your logistics and use of FedEx ground and not to mention 40% - 80% higher price and one wonders if you realize you have competition.
Can’t reply from having both. Just have the gold pei. Has worked flawlessly printing almost everyday since July 21st . . . except for when I went too long between cleaning with soap and water, but has only happened twice in that time.
I use the plastic / nylon scraper recommended here in another post. Would not use the provided metal blade unless nothing else worked. Considering the complaints I’ve heard about the older PEI plates and how reliable this has been, I see no issue with the $4 difference.
So far have only printed PLA of different types and ABS. Will be printing TPU this weekend and ASA next week.
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The gold Bambu plate surface doesn’t look any different to the other gold plates available from AliExpress or Amazon. I’ve got a couple of them and they work great. I wouldn’t be surprised if they all come from the same factory in China.
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RMB
The gold Bambu plate surface doesn’t look any different to the other gold plates available from AliExpress or Amazon. I’ve got a couple of them and they work great. I wouldn’t be surprised if they all come from the same factory in China.
Interesting that you make that observation. I also assumed the same thing. However, I am no longer so sure.
I just purchased two different gold plates from a seller called Shion.Kwoo off of Amazon. One was a horrible example of poor workmanship typical of Chinese factory that is just in the business of making knockoffs. It was simply a stamped plate with no effort whatsoever to remove the sharp edges or burrs. It in fact started to scratch my printer bed. I initially put some Kapton film on it but that won’t last forever. I’m going to have to deburr it with a Dremel I’m afraid. That plate was complete inferior to the workmanship of my Black PEI Bambu plate which has the PEI powder coat right up to the edge.
The second one was much better and did not have as sharp edges.
Now what’s interesting is that both the plates I purchased had a textured gold PEI side and the other side was a smooth PEI on one plate and a smooth specular PEA overlay which I had never heard of before.
So my point is that both of these examples were from very different factories and had different design approaches and they were also very different from the black textured PEI that I received from Bambu.
Even though there are two different links, they cross their inventory. In fact, they goofed and sent me the $35 plate when all I ordered was the less expensive 2-sided gold textured plate. But I’m not telling. 
This the PEI/PEO plate(this the the bad one with sharp edges it was labeled Mirror & Texture)
And this one was the one I received that had very different specs. It was the one labeled Smooth and Textured. (there are five plates under this link)
Another thing that all three plates had that was different was the thickness of the plate. I measured them all at the back tab where the nozzle performs it’s first calibration. There’s no coating there so I was able to measure just the steel alone. One plate was thicker than the Bambup plate and the other thinner, again indicating different manufacturing processes.
If you go to the sellers page, the other thing you notice is that they specialize in 3D FDM technology. They support numerous printers which also leads me to believe that these guys are a distributor and not the manufacturer.
Yeah, both my gold plates are coated all the way to the edge and are good quality. One has a CF sticker and I haven’t got any complaints, everything sticks and releases well. What I was inferring to really was the gold coating is likely the same product which is supplied to all the plate manufacturers, so if it’s applied correctly then they should all perform well. Bambu changed to the gold plate as a lot of people found the original black PEI plates had the coating coming off in chunks.
Thanks for clarifying. On that you are probably right. The Powder Coating industry has only like three top producers much like any industry so it’s quite likely that there is very little variation in the PEI used. However, as you just pointed out, your plate is coated to the edge and even has the CF sticker.
I purchased plates without notches, which could cause problems when using LiDAR. I’m mentioning this because it’s a common area where manufacturers try to save costs. When I used to source sheet metal enclosures in the industry, I found it frustrating that every hole and cutout seemed to add extra expenses. That changed when we started producing our own parts in-house. It taught me a valuable lesson about manufacturing. Even seemingly small features add a significant percentage to labor and handling costs. These cheap plates skip steps that higher-quality manufacturers take, like cutouts and deburring. In my experience, every time a part has to be moved to another machine for an additional operation, it adds 1-5% to the labor cost, even if it’s automated. These costs can quickly accumulate.
I did not know that about the black PEI plate chipping because that is exactly what has happened to mine. Since the plate is less than a year old I am going to contact Bambu to see if its covered under warranty? Thanks.
This new gold PEI plate is garbage. Only had my P1S for a week and the coating is coming off. It’s gone from the nozzle wipe strip and from the build area. So it’s not my settings or filament.
The black one seamed much better and released the prints well without glue.
For what its worth, it’s normal for the coating to come off the wipe strip at the back.
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Really? The black ones I have from Bambu have NOT lost their coating or texture. And I’ve had one of them for 6-8 months. The gold one is COMPLETLY gone and is smooth underneath.
They’re different. And not in a good way.
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Plates are considered expendables and my gold plates I have multiple have never had an issue, but I also don’t put the wrong materials on it to begin with
Just be clear. Are we discussing the back tab where the initial bed leveling occurs? If so, then the mark I believe you are referring to is a normal part of the bed leveling and will wear away that section of the plate. Here are front and back of my three most used plates.
In order of appearance top to back
- Top - Original black plate that came with my P1P. Lots of wear.
- Middle - Engineering plate - This is a two sided plate
- Bottom - Cheap POS that I got off of Amazon. Gold Powder coat and sharp edges that I had to take down with a Dremel.
- Top - The other side of my original black plate that I keep in reserve for “quality texture”
- Middle - The high temp plate (other side of the Engineering plate) I got this primarily for ABS, PETG and PC.
- Bottom, the other side of the gold POS plate which as a smooth PEI finish.
Comparing them in different order and lighting.
Bambu did send me a new gold plate when I told them that the old black plate started to chip after only 90 days of use. That was very nice of them. I did note that the powder coat is not nearly as thick. I have not put this plate into service yet.
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I don’t know you kid, but hold on…your post should be getting addressed by a BambuLab mod soon
How can I get rid of the glaze that is left from the newest gold pei plates? The newest plates are distinctively darker and leave what I’m calling a glaze on the print. It’s god awful ugly. The texture is great, but…. I have 3 of these new plates and feel like it was wasted $. I bought them so I could just pull my prints and put in a new plate and go again.
This sounds more like either a defective plate or incompatible filament.
However, before we go there. How is the community supposed to help you if you don’t provide complete information? If you want folks to take your question seriously, you gotta meet folks halfway and not expect everyone to guess at what you mean. 
To make it easier, here’s a partial list.
- Why are you certain it’s a glaze? Have you tried to clean it with a solvent? Photos please.
- What filament are you using?
- What is the “exact” build plate are you using? Exact link to the plate spec sheet.
- What bed temperature?
- Are you using adhesive?
- After you print, is there a permanent mark left behind on the plate? Photos please.
- Are you allowing the plate to cool properly before removing the part?
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Possible Theories
When one uses the term “…Glaze that is left…” that implies that you mean a contaminant left behind. Since PEI coatings are more or less permanent coatings, that’s chemically just not possible unless perhaps that you have a defective plate. If you mean something other than that, then it’s important to be clear.
How Powder Coat works.
It may be helpful to understand how power coat is applied. Powder coating is a process applied using electrostatic attraction, the part being applied is charged one polarity and then the sprayer nozzle is charged another. The aerosol process looks just like a paint booth at an auto body shop. However, because the coating is charged, it is naturally drawn onto the part ensuring that it covers uniformly and gets into all nooks and crannies.
After application, the process looks more like a pottery glazing operation in that the parts are put into an oven and the powder coat melts onto the surface. After it properly cools, it is very durable. I’ve had a lot of experience where that last part of the process was rushed and improperly executed and the powder coat would slough off. Sometimes that wasn’t obvious until the part was put into service such as being placed outdoors in harsh weather.
Defective Build Plate
If your plate was improperly baked during manufacturing, this could account for the PEI material sloughing off onto your print which might be interpreted as a “Glaze”. The fact that the plate is heated would only support this theory. The hotter the bed, the greater the shedding of material. However, if that were the cause, it would be very obvious because if material is left behind on your part, it has to come off the plate and that will leave a permanent mark. A photo of that kind of defect supplied to Bambu will likely get you a complimentary new plate, they did so for me on a one-off occasion.
Incompatible Filament
Another theory is that if your model does in fact leave a permanent impression, another likely culprit is incompatible material on PEI such as PETG, ABS or PC. That happened to me on another PEI plate. A partial remedy is to use Glue. Yes, it’s counter-intuitive but the glue coating acts as a release liner too and when you pull your part, you will have a layer of glue left behind on the plate and your part and that cleans off easily with soap and water, Windex or IPA.
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Between my Bambu plates, I have four different surfaces, Engineering Plate, High Temperature Plate, Original Black Textured PEI and the newer Gold textured PEI. I also have two other off-brand plates that have four more smooth surfaces. One is PEO, the other PEI and one specular finish PEO. None of these have exhibited a “glaze” or has left a contaminant behind. So for me, your report calls into doubt a conclusion that the plate is the culprit since it doesn’t match the 8 varied surfaces I have experience with.
FYI: As I mentioned above, Bambu did replace a plate for me but I can’t swear that it wasn’t my fault. I used PC on a plate that I heated to 100c and it left the powder coat softened and damaged the plate because I failed to wait for it to cool down. It was a dumb move on my part and I learned a lesson.
I’m not going through all that nonsense. If I wanted to get all that info I would open a support case.
It is the gold pei plate sold by Bambu, bought from Bambu. I’m printing with Bambu pla basic, so it isn’t rocket science. It is a brand new plate. I tried cleaning the plate with 99 ipa and soap and water. It leaves a massive shine on my prints, and a new thing I noticed today, even an outline of my last print can be seen on the new print, but you have to tilt the print at the right angle to see it.
I’m trying another new plate to see if the same thing happens. This doesn’t happen on my older Bambu pei gold plates on my other two X1Cs.
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