Heated Build Platform Instructions - Synopsis
You are a Maker, a creative force…
These are the instructions based upon our experience assembling this product but there are certainly other ways to do it. You are encouraged to find ways to simplify and/or improve the build process. Also, and very important, this product is experimental in nature and it involves working with heat and electricity. Please only take on this project if you have the knowledge and experience to do it properly.
Here is the list of tools and materials you’ll need to supply:
- Eye protection
- 2.5mm hex wrench
- Pliers (preferably needle nose)
- Soldering iron and solder
- Wire cutter/stripper
- Small round metal file (or use included sandpaper)
- Kapton Tape
- Mechanical “3rd hand”, vise, or other tool to hold connectors while soldering
- Extruder Controller Board (for heating the nichrome)
Synopsis (Detailed Instructions)
Step 1: New Y Stage
You’ll need:
- 2.5mm hex wrench
- pliers (preferably needle nose)
- sandpaper (supplied) and/or small round metal file
Prepare the modified Y-stage for mount the ceramic platform. First, you’ll need to remove your old Y-stage and check to make sure the new one fits. Then you’ll assemble and mount the stand-offs on the new Y-stage <- You may need to file/sand the screw-heads and/or the washers used in step 2.
Step 2: Mounting Connectors
You’ll need:
- soldering iron (with the temp cranked up)
- pliers
- mechanical “3rd hand”, vice or other device to hold parts while soldering
In order to mount the ceramic plate to the Y-stage and keep it from moving around, we are going to make some connectors that will be epoxied to the ceramic plate. The connectors consist of a washer soldered to a ring terminal. The washer keeps the platform in position and the ring terminal connects to either your nichrome or an optional thermistor. You may need to sand or file the washer to get it to slide smoothly on and off the M3 screw-head.
Step 3: Epoxy Nichrome
You’ll need:
- Kapton tape
- Extruder controller board
Attach the nichrome to the ceramic plate. There are lots of photos to help you with this process. First you will bend the nichrome into position and you’ll use a little kapton tape to hold it in position. You’ll connect the nichrome to your extruder controller to warm up the ceramic plate. While it is heating you’ll mix up some of your Cotronics Duralco high-temp thermally conductive epoxy. The epoxy is a very thick paste but the heat from the board will allow it to flow easily on and around the nichrome. You’ll apply the epoxy to most of the exposed nichrome and then you turn up the heat using your extruder controller. At the increased temperature the epoxy will cure in 10 – 30 minutes – depending on how much epoxy you apply. A thin coat cures faster. After the first coat cures, you’ll remove most of the kapton, apply expoxy to those areas and then heat the board again to cure the second coat.
Step 4: Epoxy Mounting Connectors
You’ll need:
- Soldering iron
- pliers
- heavy non-metalic object to hold down the Y-stage while epoxy cures
- Extruder controller board
Here we solder the ring connectors to the nichrome and then epoxy the ring connectors to the ceramic plate. This step can get a little tricky so you may want to have another person around in case you need some help keeping things in position.
Step 5: Optional – Epoxy Thermistor
You’ll need:
- Soldering iron
- pliers
- heavy non-metalic object to hold down the Y-stage while epoxy cures
- Extruder controller board
Very similar to step 4.
Step 6: Complete Y Stage
You’ll need:
- wire cutter/stripper
- soldering iron
- glue gun
You’ll solder two or four wires (four if you are mounting a thermistor) to the ring terminals on the stand-offs. Attach hook-up wire to the inlcuded Molex connectors. Glue (using your glue gun) the connectors to your new Y-stage.
Step 7: *Put it together. Heat it up. Print!