The MK52 magnetic heatbed is designed to hold a double sided, Ultem PEI coated, flexible and removable spring steel sheet designed specifically so that you could easily remove your printed objects from the print surface.
Let’s take a close look at what makes these sheets unique and what are the differences between them. We will also go through instructions on how to properly take care of your spring steel sheet to ensure it stays in a good shape for a long time.
General information
The removable spring steel sheet is held in place by 27 neodymium magnets placed in the heatbed from the bottom side. On the top side, there are two pins at the rear of the heatbed that will align perfectly with cut out notches in the spring steel sheets.
To remove the printed object from the print surface, always wait until the steel sheet cools down to room temperature. Then you can take it off by bending the sheet inwards and outwards.
Textured vs. smooth spring steel sheet difference
We offer two types of spring steel sheets, the powder coated one and the smooth one. Both sheets are covered by Ultem PEI (polyetherimide), the only difference is that the powder-coated spring steel sheet is covered by PEI dust baked directly to its surface, whereas the smooth PEI layer is glued to the metal sheet as a sticker. It is possible to use both of them for printing with any type of material, if used properly.
Prints with a small area touching the print surface or with sharp corners are less likely to detach when printing on the smooth spring steel sheet. Some users also like the smooth and shiny bottom side of their prints.
On the other hand, the powder-coated steel sheets are better for printing objects with materials such as PETG, CPE or Flexfill (TPU) which tend to adhere too much to a smooth surface but can be easily removed from the textured one. The textured pattern on the bottom side of your print also hides all potential imperfections of your first layer.
WARNING:
Never clean the Textured PEI Powder-coated spring steel sheet with acetone! Doing so will create microfractures in the PEI texture, which will make the surface deteriorate over time. Learn more about printing on the Textured PEI Powder coated steel sheet on our Blog.
Note:
Consumable parts, such as PEI sheets (smooth, textured, etc.) are not covered by warranty as the coatings are designed to diminish over time unless failure has occurred due to a defect in materials or workmanship. Cosmetic damage, including but not limited to scratches, dents, cracks or other cosmetic damage is also not covered by the warranty. Only defective sheets on arrival are covered by warranty.
Why the price was increased?
The main reason is higher production costs than we expected when we originally announced prices. As we have written in several articles, the scrap ratio is so big that we had no other option than the price increase.
- Great for extensive printing of PETG, CPE, FLEX/TPU, ABS, as well as any other type of filament
- Thinner than its smooth counterpart
- Before launching the print, degrease the sheet by wiping it with isopropyl alcohol (IPA) 90% or more
