I’ve had my X2D for about a week now and already put over 80 hours and around 500 meters of filament through it, mostly PLA but also other materials (ASA and some TPU).
My previous printer was a Prusa Mini+, and I always loved its smooth build plate. The textured plate that comes with the X2D is nice for certain prints and designs, but sometimes the texture is just not what I want.
So I’m looking for a completely smooth plate, ideally without needing glue or much tweaking. So far, I’ve narrowed it down to:
BIQU Panda Smooth PEI
Darkmoon G10 Garolite
I’m also unsure about the QR code plate detection. How important is it really? Are there any downsides to using a plate that isn’t automatically recognized?
I mainly print PLA, ASA, and TPU, so ideally I’d like something that works well with all three or at least PLA and ASA. (I’m using PETG too, but only for support-interfaces)
Any experience with these two plates or recommendations for other smooth alternatives?
On MakerWorld there are a lot of QR plate clips you can print. I printed a smooth coded clip for my BiQU Glacier plate so the printer would recognize the plate. Works great. Just make sure the code is for X2D/P2D and not the H-series
Have you looked at the Glacier plate? It is not quite 100% smooth but the prints look smooth enough to me. No issues with adhesion on PLA/PETG/ASA.
Thanks for the tip about the printable QR codes, did not know that! I will definitely check those out.
I actually bought the “BIQU CryoGrip Pro Glacier Panda Build Plate” before, but I still found the surface a bit too rough for my taste. I’m really looking for something completely smooth.
Just remember when printing TPU - no matter what plate you use, ALWAYS lay down an even layer of glue to act as a barrier - TPU is just too sticky and will try to permanently bond with many plate materials.
The only benefit of plate detection is a “dummy check” that the intended plate is actually mounted. And with detection disabled it still checks that a plate is there at all and is aligned properly (just not the type, which saves another travel move). So the benefit of plate detection is basically subjective. (I have mine disabled and haven’t pulled a dummy move yet… )
The BL Super Tack Pro (whatever they’re calling it now) has a very smooth matte surface, great for PLA, good for PETG (releasing can be a little challenging), but not much else (def. not TPU). The Engineering plate is pretty smooth (not completely) and versatile in terms of materials, but needs glue. I do like the Glacier for an all-around versatile “pretty smooth” surface (and TPU releases nicely w/out glues). The absolute smoothest I own is the DM CFX plate, but I guess that can leave an imprint of the fibers in some cases. Also have the DM Satin but that’s not really smooth either (more texture than Engineering plate).
I have long been searching for a fine textured, matte build plate. The last one I tried was the Fysetc Cryonix. It worked goid for PLA, but for PETG, adhesion was too low.
Recently I switched to the Kdeavi CryoClover (green surface) after a recommendation here in the forum. I really love it. Surface is a very fine matte texture. Adhesion is excellent for PLA and PETG, didn’t try anything else yet. It already brings the new QR codes for X2D so no need to DIY something.
The surface is very strange, feels a little bit like rubber. But works really well. I can highly recommend them and the price is really low.
I am using the Bambu engineering plate, not sure if it is smooth enough for you. But so far so good. But it requires glue, but also support all materials.
I’ve now ordered the “Garolite G10” and the “Kdeavi CryoClover Green Plate 2in1” to test them out. I’ll report back once I’ve tried both!
I also looked at the Bambu Engineering Plate, but the need for glue put me off. I’d rather avoid applying glue and having to deal with the extra cleaning afterwards.
In terms of surface smoothness, I prefer the Garolite G10. However, the plate is quite thick (2,3mm), heavy, and can’t be flexed to easily release prints, which makes it a bit inconvenient to handle.
The CryoClover Green Plate 2in1 is also smooth enough for my taste and much easier to use (0,9mm). So even though the G10 gives slightly better results, I don’t think the extra hassle is worth it.
Both plates are correctly recognized by the X2D using their printed QR codes, as long as the slicer settings match (Engineering Plate for G10 and Cool Plate SuperTack for CryoClover).
I’ll probably stick with the CryoClover for now and see how it performs over time.
Overall, I’m happy with the results. Thanks again for all the recommendations!
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