There are a couple of registration tabs on either side of the heated bed to help guide the insertion of the build plate. However, they are so low that it is very easy and quite common for the build plate to slip over one or more of them, resulting in misalignment and a non-flat build surface. In fact, it often takes me several tries to get it to line-up just right without that happening. Also, if you aren’t paying careful attention, it could easily be happening to you without you even noticing.
Is there some trick to avoiding this problem? If those tabs could somehow be made a lot taller than they are, then this problem would disappear, but at the moment I don’t know of any official retrofit for doing that. Are there any other solutions for the X1C?
There’s no real trick, just practice. Note that there is still some slippage possible with the front half of the plate lifted, so I usually just do the best I can, then wiggle it into place with the front half lifted.
This was covered in another thread, but something to consider is that the flanges are low so they don’t collide with the nozzle when printing right to the edge.
I worry that this approach may prematurely wear through the top of the heated bed. I don’t know how the heated bed on the X1C is constructed, but on a lot of 3D printers (e.g. the Prusa) it’s just a circuit board with traces that heat up. On the X1C those traces would be connected to mains, which would possibly (?) create a nasty short-circuit if the cover material were be abraded off down to the conducting metal. Am I worried about nothing, or is this a valid concern?
Presently, after mounting the build plate, I have to “read it” with my fingers, almost like braille, just to confirm that the registration tabs are adequately exposed and not covered by the build plate.
The firmware could be written to avoid such a collision, but in the meantime if taller registration tabs could be made removeable (i.e. only inserted while mounting the build plate), then it would avoid the problem. Maybe there are other solutions, but this is my only real complaint about the X1C. From the two responses so far, it seems I’m not alone in finding this a PITA.
I don’t think that’s true. If it needs to print at a location, then the head can only be at a certain location. Also, it might well clear it okay, but be so close it risks deforming the plastic.
But I agree that it’s a bit of a pain, but I’m pretty much an expert in getting the build plate in now.
Personally, I put the plate at about 30° angle near the back of the bed and hold against it’s down pull then slide back.
I let the plate bend but the only part touching is the edge, so it slides easily.
It’s below the aluminum plate. If you contact the traces you’ve dug a hole in the magnetic sheet and .5" of aluminum, LOL! Rubbing through the mag sheet will eventually wear it but it would take a while.
The way Prusa does it is much better with just two pins and indentations on the back of the plate. You just angle the plate and push it back until it touches both pins and it is perfect.
I always end up with my P1P plate not perfectly aligned side to side. The front is off by a couple mm so it doesn’t matter for normal prints.
Yesterday I tried to print a large square model and it did make a difference because that corner was right at the edge of the plate.
I can imagine you have trouble with it, but practice makes perfect. I now did it over 100 times and i can now place it perfect every time in around 3 to 5 seconds.
What i do is take the plate at around a 20 to 30 degree angle so that only the back part is touching the bed. While holding it this way i put it against the back 2 plastic guides. Then while slowly lowering the front i wiggle it slowly from left to right while keeping moderate pressure so that it keeps touching the rear 2 guides.
You feel when its right between and then i slowly lower it completely.
I do a final check on the right front side to check whether the plate isnt sticking out.
