I did read somewhere that hitting it with scotch brite pads when you get it, is recommended. Probably takes down the coat of whatever manufacturing residues are left
I wanted to update this thread on the lightyear plate issue. Thanks to @StreetSports and @LaterRon for your suggestion on cleaning prior to first use with a scour pad. I went back and cleaned using soapy water and a nice water rinse using a scour pad. My first two prints using PETG from Hatchbox have stuck nicely without adding glue. For reference, I did not change any default temp settings. I did however preheat the bed to the default recommended PETG bed temperature. I believe that since the lightyear plate is a bit thicker than the standard plates from Bambu, it may take a bit longer to get to actual desired temperature. For now, I will call this problem solved. I’ll come back and update on various materials as well. Anyone know how to mark this thread as having a solution? Can’t recall how to do that!
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I’m the OP of this thread so I went and added a solution for non sticking problems for this particular plate in my post.
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Do we know whether it is or isn’t a residue issue? If it is, then maybe acetone or IPA would take it off. AFAIK, garolite is unaffected by either one.
By the way, when maker’s muse did his extremely positive review of garolite, he said G10 is good, but G11 is even better. To that end, I did a quick google search, and it appears there is at least one place offering a G11 build plate for the X1C:
Anyone tried it, or have any other experience with G11 as a build plate?
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The scotchbrite trick helped get me over the line with my Pro plate, it does seem to have some residue but I’m not sure what. The first day with the plate was horrid, before I started I soaked it in the sink with dishsoap (basic no frills) and it didn’t want to lay a good first line without curling off the plate. The scour was helpful, but the decider was upping the both firstlayer and normal bed temps by 5c.
Its been good for the duration but lately I’ve noticed a few defect spots coming out like I’ve left a teardrop and fingerprint in a few spots. I’ve gone over and can’t see any indicators like oil spots or craters. I swapped over to other plates thinking it was a hotspot and the defects disappeared. Flipping the plate over and it isn’t a problem. I don’t work with silicones and haven’t had any transfers from the z-screws, so I just avoid that area when printing flat stuff.
The G11 looks interesting, price is cheaper as its local (Australia-wise). If the other side does the same on my Lightyear it may be a good changeover. Thanks for the link 
PS. disregard the big splodgey fingerprint on the plate, thats the old side.
Nice find. Ill have to give it a try.
On the G10 front, I found this, which appears to be the cheapest G10 for a Bambulab printer out there:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CPDY2PYH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
I presume it would need some kind of adhesive to hold it down to a Bambulab spring steel build plate. Is there a high temperature VHB tape or something similar that would be well suited to that?
For instance, it looks as though VHB tape GPH-160GF can handle up to 230C for some period of time, and you can buy it on amazon no problem.
Yes there is a double sided high temp tape that will work. I got it off amazon & 3m makes it. I used it to stick spring steel to a g10 sheet for my qidi printer & it has over 100 hours on it with no issues. Ill send a link when I get home. I cant remember what specific tape it was.
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For the benefit of other readers here: As reported by s.3 in a different recent thread (How often do you re-apply Bambu Lab liquid glue to the build plate? - #20 by s.3), 3M 468MP tape will work, and is proven out by his experience.
The funny thing is that blank steel plates to mount the garolite on cost nearly twice as much as non-blank plates which have PEI coatings on either side. So… Do we need bare metal for the adhesive tape to stick to, or will it stick just as well to a PEI plate? My wild guess is that if the tape can stick to garolite, it can probably stick to PEI. Anyone here tried it?
When I add up all the costs of doing a one-off, it’s cheaper to just buy the plate from Lightyear. That also removes the risk of misapplying the adhesive. I suppose an argument in favor of DIY is that you can have it put together very quickly, whereas Lightyear is out of stock at the moment and it seems everyone else offers only slow shipping.
It cost me $12 to make a plate. I used the cool plate, took the sticker off, and put the G10 plate on with the 3m tape.
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Was your garolite cut to the profile of your bambulab plate, or was it just a rectangle? I’m unsure whether it works with the homing and height adjustment if it’s just a rectangle (e.g. when it goes to rub its nozzle against the back of the plate).
Hmmm… I guess maybe rectangular will work: somebody on etsy is selling a rectangular garolite for bambulab printers, and it’s not profiled.
I used these:
Yaomiao G 10/ FR 4 Garolite Sheet… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C1DWTHK8?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
With this tape:
Gizmo Dorks 3M 468MP Double Sided Adhesive Transfer Tape Sheets 12" x 12" (5-Pack) https://a.co/d/aWVAobs
It works really well.
Mike
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Can I use this in my A1 combo? I dont see one that says its for the A1 only the A1 mini.
Does garolite thickness matter? If so, what’s optimal? The amazon one I linked earlier is 2mm thick, whereas the one @mitriebe linked is less than 1mm thick.
An argument in favor of thinner is that it should heat up faster and have less of a temperature offset. On the other hand, an argument in favor of thicker is that it’s less likely to buckle under a long print that wants to curl.
@NeverDie The Lightyear Pro plate takes a little while to heat in my experience. I’ve taken to using +10c on the first layer bed temp so its got a better chance of adhesion. My plate will not perform well with the standard temps, even in a conditioned state. Thickness is a factor I think.
Though on my old Ender I have a 4mm plate of straight G10 (cut out of a sheet) and it doesn’t need the extra temp once its preheated. It is a totally different feel (glossy to touch) compared to the Lightyear though, I don’t know the process they use to get that matte finish.
This guy took a different approach to using G10 on his Bambu Lab printer:
He printed some clips and used them to hold the G10 down directly to the heater bed. No spring steel and no tape. That would make it very easy to test drive G10 without any commitment beyond just the G10 itself.
He’s under the impression that you do need to cover the little nozzle-wipe area in the back with G10. This was my earlier concern as well, but then I found the etsy offering (above) which seemed to contradict this need. That said, I haven’t tried the etsy offering, so I don’t know for sure whether not covering the nozzle wipe part of the build plate with the same G10 would actually work. Who is right?
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