Tronxy X3 3D Printer Build : PEI build Surface Review Part1 : Episode 8

In this episode we discuss the benefits of PEI build surfaces

PEI

Glass

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Simplified 3d
Cura
3D Printer
Tronxy X3

[vansien]

You can get the glass from amazon too, £7.99 that's what I use on my x3a, pla sticks really well even without glue or hairspray, which is what I use if needed.

[bujin]

1) It's not that hard to ship glass, especially in the sizes you'll need.
2) Glass is BEYOND AMAZING! All you need to do is clip it down (we'll get back to this), and put some glue stick down, and heat it, and your prints will stick like Spiderman on steroids!
3) Speaking of Spiderman on steroids... It can be VERY difficult to get the print to release from the bed.... Well guess what, you clipped the glass down, that means the glass is easily removable. ...that means you can place the print and the glass in the freezer, come back in ten to twenty minutes, and the pieces have just magically released! I have never had this not work. So now you have a fool proof and easy way not to damage parts or your print surface.
4) Glass provides absolute beautiful "glass like" finishes (imagine that) on the bottom of your parts.
5) You can have multiple glass beds. Which means you can rotate which one is in the freezer and which is on your printer, and so you can print continuously without wasting time trying to get parts free. Which can take time if you have really good adhesion and you don't want to damage anything (or course this is super easy with the freeze method described).
6) Glass is super easy to clean. Just take it to the sink, run warm water over it and the glue will come right off. I only need to clean (beyond a dusting) a bed about twice a year (and I print a lot), but it's nice that it's easy to do. Of course I don't touch my bed, so I don't get any skin oils on there, and that's easy to do when I'm not wrestling my prints off the bed.
7) Glass doesn't melt when you get the hot end too close to it.
8) Glass is REALLY hard to gouge.

I really don't understand why anyone wouldn't go with this method. You can sit there an pry your parts off of your PEI surface, trying not to damage either the part or the surface, trying to find the optimal printer settings to get the parts to stick just well enough but not too well, and then try to get that PEI off your bed once you do inevitably damage it, or you could just print on glass and avoid the whole mess. I guess to each their own.