Hi - About a year ago I bought myself the BQ Hephestos 2 and I have really enjoyed learning about 3D printing. I kept on running into adhesion issues on the print bed, especially on large flat based prints. The corners would lift.
BQ provide something called a fixpad which you put on top and it adds a rougher surface. It was ok but still didn’t handle the larger prints. I have also attempted blue tape, and elmo glue. Some improvements. I have also re-calibrated the z level and print at about 205-210 as the lowest I can get away with.
BQ are offering a heated bed kit, it’s just under £200 which seems a bit steep to me but I’m curious if it’ll solve the problem… any advice from anyone whether a heated bed greatly improves adhesion on larger flat prints using pla?
I generally use a glue stick on my heated bed and the prints stick beautifully. Is the issue for you just warping around the corners, or is the filament not sticking well to the bed in general? Also, do you print your prints with or without rafts? Rafts can generally help the warping and keep it to a minimum.
I always thought that the temperature of the printing environment is important but the retailer that sold me my printer says it isn’t.
I have had my printer in a room which is slightly colder than the rest of the house, about 16-17c ambient temp. I’ve just moved it to a room that’s closer to 18-20c but have not been able to test it properly.
Enclosure of the printer also sounds like a good idea.
Its really good to hear from someone that has my printer, is there an active forum somewhere with focused on H2 owners? I can’t find one that is active! Thanks
I just checked it out, this kit was not available yet when I upgraded. It is a bit pricey compared to the DIY solutions, but looks quite robust. If you can spare the money it is probably the easiest and safest way to go.
As said I use it, build it on is very easy, system is robuust and heats up quickly. Just checked with bqstore.nl (Dutch distributor), they have it on stock.
Olvidate de la superficie fijadora, cristal, buena nivelación y algo de nelly, es el “secreto”, bq le gusta mucho vender basura y subir el precio con extras para hacer las cosas mínimamente decente, te lo dice uno que tiene la witbox y solo se mantiene la estructura original. El resto fue todo reemplazado… La cama caliente útil para otros materiales, pla es innecesario, pero si quieres una para pla ponla a 40-60°, algo que, como dije, no es necesario en absoluto. Imprime las primeras 2-3 capas a velocidades razonables y sobretodo, el cristal bien nivelado. Si usas otra cosa que no sea cristal o un añadido como cinta o superficies asegurate que estén TOTALMENTE planas. Saludos y suerte.
Based on the great advice on this forum I went out and bought the heated bed kit and have installed it.
Initial tests look very promising, I am printing without a brim or raft straight onto the glass bed without glue tape or spray with the heated bed set to 50c and it is going well.
I did ask BQ if they would provide a discount to an early adopter of Hephestos 2 (such as myself) and they declined, which I thought was disappointing given that I have found it almost impossible to print large prints on the large H2 print base (as advertised that it could) without a heated bed. Cheeky of BQ!
