Ultistik Powder-Coated PEI Bed Upgrade - Review

[jakepoz 2]

Hey, I really wanted to experience a PEI powder-coated bed on my Ultimaker 2+, so I purchased this upgrade:

https://www.filamentone.com/collections/ultistik-flexplate/products/ultistik-premium-powder-coated-ultem-pei-build-plate-220-x-220 (Plate)

https://www.filamentone.com/products/ultistik-magnet-base-220-x-220?_pos=2&_sid=3bf80021c&_ss=r (Magnetic Base)

 

Below is my review:

After reading about the powder coated PEI beds available with printers like the Prusa i3, I decided to find one that would work on an Ultimaker 2+. Previously, I have printed on

- Included glass with gluestick (messy, prone to glass chipping)

- Ultimaker's Adhesion sheets (adds more work, needs to be replaced often)

- Geckotek adhesive sheets (sticks amazingly well! I can print many parts with no adhesion brim, but sometimes sticks too well and is hard to remove, and can damage the parts)

- Raw blue painter's tape on an unheated bed back in the day (you don't want to go there)

 

I have to say, this new Ultistik plate is fantastic! I spent a few extra moments to really nail down the leveling, and parts stick amazingly well. So well that the little priming blob which sometimes falls onto the heated bed gets stuck to it. And then, when the part is done, it takes just a few seconds to pop off the plate, flex the part off, and start the next print job. I am printing medium size objects without any extra adhesion brim. I've tested with PLA only at this point, but the manufacturer claims it works on PLA, ABS, ASA, PETG, and TPU also.

 

Installation is rather simple, you just remove the adhesive back on the magnetic plate, and stick it onto your glass. I accidentally started applying the magnetic base a bit crooked, and it was impossible to restart the operation to make it straight again. On the downsides, the 220x220mm size is a bit smaller than the actual build plate, which means you'll lose some printable area. Another downside is that you may need to use some small binder clips instead of the default Ultimaker clips to attach the glass back to the heated bed. Either way, I think I'll keep a spare plain glass plate for those situations which require it, but this new plate is my default choice from now on.

 

 

Disclosure: I researched and purchased this product on my own with no affiliation to the sellers. I paid for the product with my own money and there are no affiliate codes in my review.

[Smithy 1,144]

Thanks for the review, sounds really good. 
I like the powder coated sheet on my Prusa and I am still looking for a sheet which has the same size as the glass for the UM2+ and UM3, but haven't found yet a sheet that fits exactly.

[danielkrice 4]

Thanks for the review, I’ve been on the fence for a while now and while I have a printbite surface, this looks like a better solution.

 

Quick question - any reason you used the 220x220 size instead of the 235x235?

 

 

[jakepoz 2]

Only because 220x was "recommended for Ultimaker 2" on their site, but 235 is perhaps a better choice.

[rayholland 6]

Nice review Jake.

 

Btw: Cura shows that the UM2(+) has a build area of 223x223x205mm, so you only would lose some mm

As long as you stick the mag sheet/plate a bit more to the left (not center it) you are fine (see pic yellow markings).

 

Oh, i see now that you already put it a bit more to the left 😉

 

Could you also please tell us later about durability?

I had a mag base with flex plate and glued pei sheet before (not powder coated) and that setup did not hold very long (pei sheet came lose and the pei sheet was damaged fast).

But maybe the powder coated PEI will last much longer.

 

Edited September 7, 2020 by rayholland

[jakepoz 2]

Will do, so far durability is good, but only been ~1 month and ~1 spool of filament I've put through in that time. I've also done PLA, which I found doesn't really stress any parts as much as something like ABS/CPE+ does. Will keep you posted.

[marcel-klapwijk 0]

Ziflex has something similar, which fits near perfect:

 

Edit: link to product: https://www.amazon.nl/gp/product/B095YR88Y6

Edited February 2, 2022 by marcel-klapwijk

[lars86 42]

Very cool! I am thinking about doing the same on my modified UMO+. Looking at the Fula-Flex 2: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B09CBYS6HF/

 

I was actually considering replacing the glass with a cast aluminum tooling plate and putting the build surface on that. It would definitely have better thermal performance, but I am also hoping that it could offer improved flatness as well.

[CCLMakerSpace 2]

On 2/9/2022 at 3:25 PM, lars86 said:

Very cool! I am thinking about doing the same on my modified UMO+. Looking at the Fula-Flex 2: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B09CBYS6HF/

 

I was actually considering replacing the glass with a cast aluminum tooling plate and putting the build surface on that. It would definitely have better thermal performance, but I am also hoping that it could offer improved flatness as well.

Did you end up doing this? I just ordered a Fula-Flex 2, wondering how it worked out for other people.

[nmarach 0]

On 8/5/2020 at 3:19 PM, jakepoz said:

Installation is rather simple, you just remove the adhesive back on the magnetic plate, and stick it onto your glass. I accidentally started applying the magnetic base a bit crooked, and it was impossible to restart the operation to make it straight again. On the downsides, the 220x220mm size is a bit smaller than the actual build plate, which means you'll lose some printable area. Another downside is that you may need to use some small binder clips instead of the default Ultimaker clips to attach the glass back to the heated bed. Either way, I think I'll keep a spare plain glass plate for those situations which require it, but this new plate is my default choice from now on.

 

@jakepoz did you have to change anything with the G-Code? I'm researching doing this at work with an S5 and I thought somewhere I read that it might screw up the Auto-Z?

[jakepoz 2]

No, I didn't change the GCode, but this was for an Ultimaker 2+ which doesn't have auto-Z leveling. I'm pretty sure that in adding this custom bed, you will need to disable auto-Z on the S5, because it uses a capacative probe, and the metal on the plate will interfere with that.

[StonyPlainPublicLibrary 0]

Is there a reason why it needs to be installed on the glass or can it be installed directly onto the metal plate? Is the concern the direct heat or the Z offset?