We do a lot of research and development on 3D printing systems at SD3D in an effort to improve the quality and reliability of our machines and to help select the best 3D printer technology available for our production factory. The 3D printer heated bed is perhaps one of the most important components on a 3D printer. Since this component is often overlooked in selecting a 3D printer, we decided to dedicate this post to reviewing different 3D printer heated build plates. Recently, we took six off-the-shelf desktop 3D printers and our proprietary 3DGenie FDM printer and compared the quality of the heated build plate (HBP) with respect to surface temperature gradients.

Why Are Temperature Gradients Bad on a 3D Printer Heated Bed?

So why do surface temperature gradients on the HBP even matter? Thermoplastics are very sensitive to temperature fluctuations, specifically when they are being rapidly extruded at temperatures well above their glass transition temperature (Tg). When there is a significant difference in temperature on one side of the HBP compared to the other, we call that a temperature gradient. These temperature gradients and environmental fluctuations are the leading factors that lead to part failure due to “warping”. This effect which we have come to describe as warping is little more than uneven shrinkage of the polymer that leads to a portion of the print dislodging itself prematurely from the bed. Temperature gradients above the 3D printer heated bed can also lead to an effect known as “delamination” in the case where the print remains adhered to the bed, but individual layers above the HBP surface begin to weaken and separate from each other. So if you want to have strong parts that print reliably, a good starting point would be to ensure your HBP is as uniform and gradient-free as possible.