- My name's Tom.
This is The Enthusiasm Project.
And today I wanted to go back to a video
that I made about a month ago
where I explained how to install a glass bed
on the Monoprice Select Mini 3D Printer.
In that video, I explained how to cut the glass
that you would use for the bed.
To go to Home Depot, buy a big piece of glass,
use some glass cutters, cut it
and install it on the bed ready to use.
This is a pretty simple and inexpensive process.
The glass is only a couple of dollars.
The glass cutters are another, you know, $3.
It's relatively simple but it is a little bit challenging.
Now after I posted that video,
a guy named Pat from the BKM store on Amazon
got in touch with me and said that he manufactures
glass beds specifically for the Monoprice Select Mini,
the Delta Mini and I believe
a few other 3D printers as well.
He offered to send a couple of them out to me
so I could try 'em out.
He said if I didn't like 'em, I could just throw 'em away,
but he thought that they were pretty good products.
So I tested them out on the Mini and the Delta
and I'm really happy with the results that I got.
The quality is basically the same
as printing on the normal glass
like I showed you guys how to install in the other video.
When you print on glass, you do need to use
some kind of adhesive, I just used a glue stick
because that works really, really well.
But the benefits of glass is that
it's a really perfectly leveled surface,
and then it also gives you such a nice first layer.
The first layer of your print is really, really smooth
and shiny and glossy and then the rest of the print
is usually a bit higher quality
because that first layer is so leveled and even.
Even though cutting your own glass beds
is pretty simple and safe, you are still cutting glass.
And in the video where I showed you how to install the bed,
I did end up cutting myself on the glass
as I was cutting it, I ran along the edge
and it sliced my thumb pretty deep.
So even when you're being careful and wearing gloves,
you know, stuff still happens and little pieces of glass
and splinters of glass can find their way around,
you know, your table, your carpet, your floor
if you're not careful.
The glass that Pat sent me is a bit thicker
and higher quality than the glass
that I got from Home Depot.
He sells it between $13 and $15
depending on which printer you're getting the glass for.
I'll put links down in the description
so you can go check it out if you're interested.
And the best thing is, I was able to get these glass beds
in the mail, take them out of the package,
put them directly on the printer
and then be ready to go.
There's no cutting glass, there's no cutting yourself.
The edges of these glass pieces
are also finished in a way
that makes them really, really smooth and safe to touch.
So it's a lot less likely that you're going to cut yourself.
The insolation process is exactly the same
as what I explained in the first video about the Mini.
Really you're just clipping the glass plates
onto the print beds.
You can use different types of adhesives.
I prefer just using binder clips
because it makes it really easy to take the glass off
and wash it after it gets some residue
from like the glue and filament and stuff on it.
For the Select Mini, just lay the glass
on top of the bed and clip it on.
It's already cut at angle,
so that way you can still level out the bed.
You don't need to worry about that.
It fits this printer perfectly.
In my last video, I think I was a little unclear
about the step for the Z axis spacer.
It's a little part that you can print out,
I'll put the file down in the description.
And all that that does is it clips directly
in on top of the motor that goes up and down for the Z axis.
And then it presses down on the stopper.
The part itself is the thickness of the glass
so what that does is it stops the nozzle
from jamming down into the glass
and it accounts for the added thickness of the glass bed.
So it's very, very simple.
You can just print out this part,
clip it onto your Z axis motor and you're done.
It takes two seconds, it's no problem.
Now the Delta Mini has an auto bed leveling feature.
If you've been watching any of my videos about this,
you know I've been having some issues with this printer
and basically the nozzle jamming down into the print surface
and it's been a little bit frustrating to deal with.
So I took Pat's advice which is the same
as on the MP Delta Wiki, and all you do
is set the piece of glass directly onto the bed,
clip it with some binder clips,
and then the printer should auto level
and account for the height difference.
So there's nothing else you need to do,
you literally just put the glass on,
make sure it's attached so it's not gonna slide around
and then you're good to go.
For me, it worked perfectly, the printer leveled out,
printed really, really well.
Both prints had really, nice,
smooth surfaces from the glass.
It worked great, the glass is quite durable.
So the reason that I want to share this with you today
is that a lot of people are really interested
in printing on glass, it's a super easy upgrade.
And it's also a really effective upgrade
because it can really help level out
your print surface, it can really give you
better quality prints right away.
Cutting your own glass beds is kinda fun,
and inexpensive, but you're still cutting glass
and there's still the risk of injury or damage
or anything like that.
So the ability to just order perfectly sized,
high quality pieces of glass, I think is huge.
And so, in the future, if I was going to put glass beds
on more of these printers, I would definitely
just order the glass instead of cutting it myself.
Specially after nursing a wound for a couple weeks
from the piece of glass.
So Pat, thank you again for sending these out.
I think these are really, really great upgrades
for these printers and you guys make it super easy
for people to do that.
So I'll put links down in the description
to the storefront on Amazon,
if you're interested in checking them out.
And anyways, let me know your experience
with upgrades and printing on glass
and anything you've done to your printer,
specially these Monoprice printers
which are really fun to upgrade and play with.
And that's pretty much it for today.
So if you haven't subscribed yet,
please make sure to subscribe to this channel
so you get new videos and live streams every single week.
Let me know what you think in the comments
and I will see you guys next time.
(upbeat music)