BAMBU LAB BED WELD SURFACE COMPATIBILITY GUIDE

BED WELD was initially developed for use on glass surfaces. Since development, additional surface types have come to market. Some are compatible, while others are not. On incompatible surfaces, BED WELD will not coat the surface smoothly and the coating can become white and flake off when heated. It is critical to use a compatible surface!

For Bambu printers, the stock build plates are not compatible. Additionally, the cool plate is not designed to be heated to high temperatures, so it is not a good fit for Bed Weld. Bed Weld works by helping parts adhere at hot temperatures while releasing the parts when the bed cools.

However, the following options will provide for a compatible surface to use with BED WELD:

1. Garolite (G10) and Phenolic Linen Surfaces – Aftermarket options exist for adding this surface type to a Bambu Lab printer.

2. Scuff Sanding Bambu Engineering Plate – The stock Bambu Lab Engineering plate can be scuff sanded with fine grit sand paper. This will modify the surface to allow BED WELD to coat the surface smoothly.

Each of these options are discussed in detail below:

GAROLITE (G10) / PHENOLIC SURFACES

Compatible after market build plates made from Garolite and/or Phenolic resin are available, or one can be made from parts readily available.

For the best experience, we recommend getting a thin piece of Garolite/Phenolic and attaching it on top of a Bambu steel sheet.

3D Maker Engineering offers a precut piece of Garolite/Phenolic with a 3M adhesive backing. They sell them here: https://www.3dmakerengineering.com/collections/3d-printer-build-plates/products/garolite-3d-printer-build-plate?variant=31711990677559

Alternatively, you can get a pack of 12×12 Micarta Phenolic resin (Garolite) sheets from here if you want to cut your own: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09KMB2F7W/

Note – Cutting Garolite can be difficult and is known to dull saw blades quickly. Care should also be taken to avoid inhaling the dust generated during the cutting process.

Note – Some Garolite suppliers require cleaning with soap and water to remove oils before applying Bed Weld. Use dish soap and warm water. Avoid 70/30 Isopropyl alcohol as it can leave an invisible residue on the plate that impacts coating spreadability. Dry with a clean paper towel. Towels with fabric softeners should be avoided.

If you cut your own piece of garolite, you can get some sheets of 3M 468MP adhesive from here: https://www.amazon.com/Adhesive-Transfer-Double-Sided-Weupe/dp/B07BK8PHZK/

Use that to attach the garolite to a steel Bambu plate so it will be magnetic. Or, you can attach some magnetically receptive vinyl to the bottom of your sheet to make it magnetic.

Note: Don’t use magnetic tape as magnet on magnet is not optimal and requires orienting it so the polarities attract. Magnetically receptive vinyl acts like steel. You can purchase some here: https://www.amazon.com/Adhesive-Transfer-Double-Sided-Weupe/dp/B07BK8PHZK/

bambu-x1-carbon-cool-plate-and-layerneer-bed-weld

SCUFF SANDED ENGINEERING PLATE

Scuffing a surface can modify the surface characteristics which may improve wetability for spreading water based coatings. We recommend scuff sanding the Engineering plate with fine grit sand paper, then cleaning it with soap and water. BED WELD will then be able to coat the surface properly.

In the following picture, the left side of the build plate was scuffed and BED WELD is providing a smooth even coating of the surface. The right side of the plate is un-sanded and BED WELD is beading up on the surface.

Note: Avoid scuff sanding the bar code location as this will prevent the plate from automatically being identified properly.