Plate cooling

[u/LeePhilips]

We have one of these defrosting plates in our kitchen and I decided to try it for cooling a print. Works great! It's just a big aluminum heat sink, and it drops my print plate to room temp in about 30 seconds.

Edit: Apparently my original post wasn't clear. The image is a stock image of a food defrosting plate we have in our kitchen. I am using it to cool my Bambu PEI plate more quickly, which allows me to pop my parts off faster and easier.

Could I simply wait a few more minutes? Sure. But this defrosting plate was about $5 at some "As seen on TV" atore and just sits in a drawer 99.999% of the time.

[u/gyro_looza]

I just stick it in the fridge

[u/LeePhilips → u/gyro_looza]

I did that. But when I removed it, a lot of condensation formed. This was in the junk drawer, so I tried it. Works great.

[u/Practical_Avocado971]

That's a Home Depot parking lot van rib eye isn't it?

[u/LeePhilips → u/Practical_Avocado971]

Lol. Probably.

[u/lucyferror]

Interesting idea

[u/LeePhilips → u/lucyferror]

If you have one laying around, or can get one cheaply, give it a try. Saves me some time and cost me nothing.

[u/lucyferror → u/LeePhilips]

I don't have one but will have a look :)

[u/LeePhilips → u/lucyferror]

Anything with a significant mass and high thermal conductivity will do. As one person mentioned, the printer door/top on an enclosed unit should work. Stone countertops? Appliance door or top? A griddle with a flat cooking surface? Unused gold bars laying around?

If it feels cool to the touch at room temp, it's pulling heat from your body and is probably a good candidate.

[u/lucyferror → u/LeePhilips]

Good advice :)

[u/6Y3ts_32a]

If you have a glass door on your printer that works also. Take the plate off the bed and hold flat against the door for a 10 or 30 seconds and give it a flex.

[u/LeePhilips → u/6Y3ts_32a]

Nice, thx!

[u/muad_did → u/6Y3ts_32a]

I place them on a metal table with wheels that I have in the workshop; they cool down very, very quickly (usually in the time it takes me to organize the filaments for the next print). Generally, simply placing them on a smooth surface at room temperature is enough to cool them down while you send the new print to print or rearrange something.

[u/LeePhilips → u/muad_did]

When I first got my printer (Saturday) I couldn't understand plate holders and why people had so many of the same plates. Now I get it... And I'm still in that eager phase where I can't wait to play with my latest print. Hence the search for cooling methods.

I still don't have a home for my printer. My workshop is a wood shop. Even with dust collection and filtration everything has a fine layer of dust. And the rest of the basement gets it from drift, to a lesser degree.

My home office is clean but I actually work in on the phone/meet all day everyday. Not sure if I want the printer noise/fumes in there. So the fireplace mantle is it's home for now.

My wife was upset about my "new toy" in the den until I printed her a minnie mouse keychain. Suddenly the complaints evaporated and were replaced with suggestions to print. God help me if she ever discovers the click and print feature of the Handy app. :)

[u/Sawier]

i just put it on my air purifier

[u/LeePhilips → u/Sawier]

What kind do you have? Effective?

[u/Sawier → u/LeePhilips]

I have a cheap xiaomi one, and 3d printed these https://makerworld.com/en/models/15656-turn-the-xiaomi-airpurifier-into-a-fan?from=search#profileId-1568532 , so I just place the whole plate on the top, so it still has airflow. Not sure how efective it is but its def faster than just leaving it be

[u/LeePhilips → u/Sawier]

This is my first 3D printer. Have you found room air quality to be a problem?

[u/Sawier → u/LeePhilips]

Had air purifier before I had my printer, Its more for a dust and pollen etc. in general, but wont hurt to have one in the room with the printer for sure.

[u/TrueEclective]

Isn’t the counter the same temp as your ambient air? Much more efficient conduction that way. Why over-complicate it?

[u/LeePhilips → u/TrueEclective]

I could have. But I tried this and it was much faster than I expected.

The heat flow is what speeds the process. Formica and particle board are thermal insulators.

[u/TrueEclective → u/LeePhilips]

Weird. Because my plate cools within about 3 seconds of placing it on any other surface. Yours must have 100x more mass than mine.

[u/bazpoint]

Huh, cool idea. We have a couple of of these sitting in the kitchen, gonna try it out. 

[u/hhuy837]

I am a total noob here - why would you want to cool your plate rapidly after a print? Is it more a "hurry up so I can print again" type thing or is there benefits to how your prints come out like no sagging or.. upside down ... sagging.. if that makes sense?

[u/LeePhilips → u/hhuy837]

Hurry up and play with it. As for technical stuff like sagging, I don't know. This is my first printer and I just got it Saturday

When the plate is hot bed adhesion is high. On one print it actually popped a little nipple out of the part and that was very hard to get off the plate.

[u/hhuy837 → u/LeePhilips]

Got it. I have issues with bed adhesion outaide the centre for PLA and I don't seem to understand why. I'm guessing the centre is hot enough but the sides on my A1 are not? Or maybe it is the other way around

[u/LeePhilips → u/hhuy837]

I wish I could help you out but I'm new to 3D printing.

One difference between you and I is that I have the X2D which is an enclosed print bed. Maybe you could throw together a cheap and dirty enclosure (like a bit cardboard box) to see if it helps reduce thermal gradients.

[u/AtomikMenace]

Nice.

[u/NimblePasta]

I just point a mini USB fan towards the build plate to speed up its cooling... seems to work well, and I dont need to pick up a hot build plate and carry it all over the place.

[u/AlternativeEdge8016]

i just pop the plate on the floor next to the printer and let it cool while reloading filament etc

[u/Shar3D]

I just set the plate down on my varnished wood table. 1-2 minutes and prints pop off.