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3D printing borosilicate glass


Borosilicate Glass VS Tempered Glass for 3D Printing – 3D Printerly

The conditions for a good print start, quite literally, from the ground up. A good build plate is fundamental to ensuring your 3D model comes out looking great.

It serves several functions like making sure there’s a level surface for printing and enhancing print adhesion.

There are many materials for fabricating build plates, depending on the print requirements.

A popular option among 3D printing enthusiasts is glass. Its high resistance to warping, thermal stability, and conductivity make it a prime choice for printing.

The two main types of glass that people use for 3D printing are borosilicate glass and tempered glass, but many people don’t know which to buy.

This article is going to aim to help you identify the differences and key comparisons to help you move forward and get the right type.

Let’s quickly look at both options before we compare them.

What Is Borosilicate Glass in 3D Printing?

Borosilicate glass is a type of glass made with silica and at least 13% Boron trioxide. This combination gives it some properties that make it useful in 3D printing applications.

Let’s examine these properties.

Thermal Stability

Borosilicate glass has a very low coefficient of thermal expansion. That is, it expands very little with changing temperatures. This means that it will not crack or shatter under extreme temperatures.

Its thermals stability is one of its most important properties, as this makes it possible to use it with a heated bed. It also makes printing with high-temperature materials like ABS very easy.

Durability

Borosilicate glass is strong. It is shatter-proof, which means when it’s dropped, it won’t break. Also, its durability means it lasts longer and is less susceptible to surface degradation from scratches and nicks.

Chemical Resistant

Borosilicate glass has a very stable chemical structure that doesn’t degrade when attacked by outside elements. This is very helpful when printing with reactive filaments.

It’s nice to know your build plate won’t leak dangerous chemicals into the print or the air.

Thermal Shock Resistant

Thermal shock resistance is a property of borosilicate glass that makes it resistant to rapid changes in temperatures. Most materials exposed to rapid changes in temperature lose their strength and may even fail. But, Borosilicate glass stands up well to these thermal shocks.

Some people wonder whether borosilicate glass warps, and most people’s experience show that it doesn’t warp over time due to its physical characteristics.

What Is Tempered Glass in 3D Printing?

Tempered glass is any form of glass that has gone through thermal and mechanical processes (tempering) to increase its strength. Tempered glass finds applications in car windshields and things like screen protectors.

All these are made possible due to the properties given to it by tempering. Let’s take a look at some of those properties below:

Strength

Tempered glass is strong and durable by nature. It can withstand impact shocks far better than regular glass. Its strength comes from tempering, which pre-stresses the glass’s structure to make it stronger.

Thermal Stability

Tempered glass is also heat-resistant. The thermal tempering treatment makes it able to withstand temperatures up to 300℃ without failure. Tempered glass can also withstand thermal shock, just not as well as Borosilicate glass.

Scratch Resistant

Tempering gives the surface of the glass a scratch-resistant finish.

It hardens the surface making it more resistant to penetration from an external object. This quality makes tempered glass retain its surface quality for a long time.

The video below shows how easy installation is, and gives a nice review on a tempered glass bed.

Borosilicate Glass Vs Tempered Glass: Which One is Best for You?

When buying a glass build plate, the odds are you are going to get either one made from borosilicate glass or tempered glass. So, how do you decide between them? Let’s take you through some things that can influence your decisions.

Quality

Both borosilicate glass and tempered glass have excellent qualities that set them apart from regular glass. Let’s go through those qualities one by one and see how they stack against each other:

  • Thermal Stability: Both tempered and borosilicate glass perform well at high temperatures. You can print high-temperature filaments on them with no problem. However, when it comes to thermal shock resistance, Borosilicate glass is the better option.

Due to the pre-stressed nature of tempered glass, it cannot withstand large temperature variations. Prolonged exposure to these temperatures can cause warping, or in extreme cases, total failure.

  • Scratch Resistance: The scratch resistance of a material is a function of its hardness and resistance to penetration. Both Borosilicate and tempered glass are harder than regular glass. On the Mohs hardness scale, tempered glass is rated slightly higher than borosilicate glass.

The higher rating means Tempered glass is a slightly harder material. As such, it will be more resistant to chipping and flaking. This will make it retain its surface quality longer.

Ease Of Use

For ease of use, we’ll be rating both glasses on how user-friendly they are. Both provide good quality bottom finishes, are easy to clean, and are flat. We’ll be using different criteria.

We’ll be comparing them based on safety and ease of print removal.

Let’s look at these criteria:

  • Safety: Tempered glass is a safer material. It is highly durable and can resist impact shocks better. Even if it breaks, it breaks into cube-like pieces that aren’t harmful.
  • Ease of Print Removal: Print removal generally depends on a lot more things than the build plate, but prints are easier to remove from borosilicate glass. Due to its low coefficient of thermal expansion, it won’t expand when heated. So as it cools, the stresses from the shrinking model make it easier to remove.

For more stubborn prints, you can put the build plate in a freezer to cool it faster. Borosilicate glass can survive this swing in temperature because of its resistance to thermal shocks.

Price

The price difference is not so significant, so you can really choose either and be good on price, but let’s look at which one actually comes up as cheaper.

A standard borosilicate glass bed for an Ender 3 on Amazon comes to around $15, with the Dcreate 235 x 235 x 3.8mm Borosilicate Glass Bed.

A standard tempered glass bed for an Ender 3 on Amazon comes to around $20 on Amazon, with the Creality Authentic Tempered Glass Bed, though these prices can fluctuate depending on the brand and the seller.

The prices of 3D printer beds have been getting cheaper over time, which is great for 3D printer hobbyists out there!

Overall, I’d recommend going with the Dcreate Borosilicate Glass Bed from Amazon.  

You can also get yourself some professional 3D printer clamps to add onto your 3D printer to hold the glass bed into place. When I tried using the binder clips that came with my Ender 3, it was just too small for the glass bed addition.

The 4-Pack Ender 3 Stainless Steel Clamps from Amazon are a good product to keep your bed in place. They are fairly pricey but they get the job done very well.

Another option which gives you more bang for your buck is the 40 Pcs Extra Large Binder Clips from Amazon. They have a 2-inch width and has multiple practical uses outside of holding your bed in place.

Custom Glass for 3D Printing Applications

The Role of 3D Printing in the Manufacturing World

3D printing—also known as additive manufacturing—is a manufacturing process that creates physical objects from a digital model. It uses a specialized fabrication unit—i.e., a 3D printer—to add successive layers of plastic or metal material to form a 3D component. Compared to other manufacturing methods, it offers greater versatility, better cost-efficiency, and faster production speeds, especially for prototyping and small volume production runs. For these reasons, more and more manufacturers across a wide range of industries are turning to it for their product development projects.

While 3D printing is now the go-to technique for prototyping, it has also found increasing use as a primary production method in recent years. As the technology continues to develop over time, it is likely to rise even more in popularity. As a result, the demand for quality 3D printing supplies—including the printing bed—will increase too.

The Importance of the Printing Bed

The printing bed—also referred to as the build plate or print surface—is one of the most important parts of any 3D printer. It serves as the platform on which objects are 3D printed. While its primary function is providing a flat surface for the bottom layer of the print, its secondary function is providing an adhesive surface or a surface on which adhesive can be applied. Both ensure the print remains stable as it is created.

Materials for 3D Printing Beds

Printing beds are available in many variations, differing in material, surface finish, thermal characteristics, price point, and more. While they are traditionally made from metal or plastic, glass printing beds have become more ubiquitous.

Glass sheets are a simple and effective solution for print surfaces. Compared to other printing beds, they offer the following advantages:

  • They are stiff and flat, meaning they will provide a solid and stable print surface for years.
  • They have high material density and low thermal conductivity, which results in a longer heat up time but better heat distribution.
  • They offer smoother surface finishes, making it easier to remove a finished print creating a nicer finish on the bottom surface.

Glass printing beds with heating capabilities further enhance prints by allowing for better material adhesion, a lower risk of material warping, and easier component removal.

Two of the most common types of glass used for 3D printing beds are:

  • Borosilicate Glass. This specialized glass contains a high concentration of boron trioxide and silica. It is characterized by its high durability and low coefficient of thermal expansion. When exposed to high temperatures, it remains clear, strong, and dimensionally stable.
  • Clear Float Glass. Clear float glass materials (e.g., soda lime glass) are a low-cost alternative to borosilicate glass. They have lower durability and a higher coefficient of thermal expansion, which make them better suited for 3D printing applications involving lower temperatures and/or more flexible tolerance requirements.

Glass Printing Beds From Swift Glass

Need glass printing beds for your 3D printer? Swift Glass is here to help! We’ve manufactured industry-leading glass components for over 100 years. This experience enables us to provide high-quality glass cutting and edging services for customers who need glass 3D printing beds. Whether you need borosilicate or soda lime printing beds, we’ve got you covered. We can produce them in a variety of shapes, sizes, and quantities to suit virtually any 3D printing need.

To learn more about our custom glass 3D printing beds or discuss how we can help with your next project, contact us today.

 

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glass-ceramic, borosilicate and perforated do-it-yourself

3D printers are very popular in many areas. Today, such devices are widely used in dentistry, jewelry, architecture and business. But in order for any printer to print quality parts, you should take care of choosing a surface for your desktop, taking into account the material used. Next, we will tell you how to do it right.

What types of glasses are available for a 3D printer table?

All 3D printers have one thing in common: the desktop. It is on it that a three-dimensional product is created, the quality of which will depend on adhesion with the platform. Usually the desktop is covered with glass, but there may be other options.

Sitall glass

Sitall glass is one of the most popular adhesion methods to avoid sticking of the product to the desktop and ensure its reliable retention on the surface. The only drawback is the rather high cost of such material.

For reference. Sitall is a crystalline material with properties such as transparency, wear resistance, chemical and thermal stability. It was first developed in the Soviet Union for use in the aviation industry.

The use of glass-ceramic glass in 3D printing allows solving a number of the following problems:

  • the ability to print with different types of plastic;
  • solid surface mounting;
  • no deformation when printing samples even when exposed to high temperatures;
  • production of quality parts;
  • does not require the use of glue or other adhesive materials.

All you have to do is calibrate the height between the nozzle and the build plate and start printing your first 3D products.

Borosilicate glass

Borosilicate glass has a low coefficient of thermal expansion, making it more resistant to heat than ordinary glass. When printing 3D models on a platform equipped with a similar surface, high-quality products are obtained. This is achieved by tightly attaching the first layer to the site and ensuring good adhesion.

Borosilicate glass is made from tempered materials and is used in medicine, energy and everyday life. It is resistant to temperature extremes and chemical attack. The secret is simple - in the production of borosilicate glass, boron oxide is added to the composition and the content of air bubbles is excluded.

Even a beginner will have no problems installing the glass - it is attached to the desktop of the 3D printer with clerical clips or bolts.

Perforated glass

Special tempered glass with a perforated coating ensures that the future 3D part is firmly attached to the work platform. Another plus is that such material provides easy separation of finished products from the table after they have cooled. Perforated glass is used in a range of heated desktop 3D printers. On such devices it is easy to work with any kind of plastic.

What should I do if the glass comes off the 3D printer table?

Many buyers and beginners in 3D printing are faced with the problem of keeping the model on the desktop or dealing with surface irregularities. In these cases, glass comes to the rescue. It provides a dense fastening of the product with the surface and allows you to produce high-quality three-dimensional models. But in words, everything is easy, but in practice, a beginner may have problems not only with printing, but also with such a problem as glass peeling off the desktop. In this case, you should not panic - it is better to carefully study the possible causes, watch videos on the Internet and take possible measures:0003

  • Check table calibration settings - we recommend doing this with the bed and extruder preheated to operating temperature.
  • Reduce print speed.
  • Eliminate poor adhesion - glue or hairspray is suitable for this purpose, as well as alcohol, which is recommended to degrease the surface.
  • Fix the glass with special clamps or screws.

How to work with glass?

If you have recently bought a 3D printer and do not yet know about all the features of this device, then most likely you will have many questions during the first and subsequent use. One of the possible options is what kind of surface to choose for the desktop and how to work with glass correctly. Here are a few helpful tips to get your 3D printing process up and running and produce quality products:

  • Remove the protective film from the glass surface.
  • Before placing the glass on the workbench, preheat the platform to facilitate easy removal of the protective film from the surface with minimal adhesive residue.
  • Remove the sticker carefully.
  • If adhesive remains on the platform, remove with acetone or thinner.
  • Mount the glass on the work table using the clips.

note . Before you start printing, adjust the table height for your glass thickness and calibrate the platform.

Done right, 3D printed pieces will bring maximum comfort without the risk of them sticking to the platform. You can easily get high-quality models and avoid the risk of platform deformation when heated to high temperatures.

How to make glass with your own hands?

If you decide to save on buying glass, there is another way out - to make it yourself. This method may well become an alternative if there is not enough money to buy or there is no time to wait. We list several options for making glass with our own hands:

  • Use blue tape or masking tape. One of the most effective and inexpensive ways to get the product to grip the work surface. Opt for wide rolls for quick surface coverage, and optionally use adhesive to avoid using extra heat when printing.
  • Make a table with duct tape and hairspray . This method is suitable for printing with ABS plastic - spray regular hairspray on the surface of the desktop and place Kapton on top.
  • Use window glass or a mirror and a sanding disc with grit 53 for the surface. This will create excellent adhesion when working with any plastic. You can fix the structure with ordinary clerical clips.

Mistakes and how to avoid them

Many beginners in 3D printing have problems, in particular with incorrect glass selection or installation. Follow these simple guidelines to avoid common mistakes:

  • Select glass according to the plastic you are going to print with. It is best to give preference to glass-ceramic or borosilicate material - this option is not the most budgetary, but the most reliable.
  • Before printing 3D models, make sure the desktop is properly calibrated.
  • If the product sticks to the desktop surface, use additional methods of adhesion - glue or varnish.
  • When making your own desktop surface, use tempered glass if possible and attach it tightly to the platform.

We hope that the first experience of 3D printing and our advice will help you to produce high-quality three-dimensional products with minimal losses!

  • April 19, 2021
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Get expert advice

Install glass on the Wanhao Duplicator i3 3d printer

Many of those who decide to buy a Duplicator i3 3d printer soon after purchasing it think about installing glass on the printing platform. You can learn from the experience of many who have decided to do this, on forums and reviews on the Internet. We recommend buying borosilicate glass of the right size for your 3d printer's print platform.

Glass comes well packaged and protected from damage. The kit includes four clips to hold it in place. Some owners of the Wanhao duplicator i3 3d printer prefer to glue the glass to the print platform, we decided to get by with clips. Please note that incorrectly installed clips can interfere with the movement of the 3D printer nozzle when printing.

First, tear off the sticker that covers the 3d printer platform. It comes off easily enough, but there is quite a lot of glue left on the platform. In order for the sticker to come off easier and less glue left, try preheating the 3d printer platform. If you bought your 3d printer a long time ago, and your Wanhao i3 is an old generation, then there are no stickers on the desktop, and you don’t need to tear anything off.

Clean the build platform of the 3d printer from adhesive residue with solvent or acetone. It will certainly take a lot of time, but the result is worth it.

Once you're done cleaning, place the glass on the 3d printer bed. Please note that in the photo the clamps are installed in a temporary position. If left as is, they will be in contact with the extruder nozzle.

Attention! Before printing, adjust the desktop height according to the thickness of the glass. Usually the height of the springs is sufficient to compensate for the increase in the level of the platform. Set the clips to a permanent position that won't interfere with the 3d printer. If necessary, experiment with clips of different sizes. You can easily find them in office supply stores. After installing the glass, we recommend that you manually disassemble and remove the shiny nickel-plated part of the clips, as it will be in contact with the printer frame.

Another simple option, you can print on the printer itself special glass holders for the Duplicator i3 3D printer. You can download the model from our website.

Glass holder model for Duplicator i3 3D printer Download

More details:

What are the pros and cons of installing a printer glass.

- Installing glass on the desktop of a 3D printer greatly simplifies the process of removing the finished model. You simply remove the glass from the table and remove the model behind your workbench without fear of damaging the 3D printer table top. It also eliminates the need for frequent platform calibration.

- When the table is heated to high temperatures and large models are printed, the aluminum platform may deform and its surface becomes uneven. The glass prevents possible deformation and improves print stability and quality.

- Easy and convenient removal from the surface; glue, or other compositions to increase sticking (adhesion).

- The disadvantages include the fact that due to the thickness of the glass, for high-quality adhesion, the temperature of the table must be increased by 5-10 ° C from the standard settings.

Why is it so expensive.

- This is not ordinary, but high quality borosilicate glass, which is much more expensive to produce. Borosilicate glass is characterized by high thermal conductivity, heat resistance and structural integrity. It is stronger than ordinary glass, but under high pressure, or falling, it can break or crack. Borosilicate glass has a wide range of applications ranging from laboratory glassware to mirrors for astronomical telescopes. This glass is used to make lenses for high-quality flashlights, teapots and much more.

If I live far away, will it not break on delivery?

- The glass is wrapped in bubble wrap and as described above is significantly stronger than normal glass.

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