Some of the print platforms that were shipped were unfortunately slightly warped making larger prints difficult to stick. It would also make the fibreglass heated bed hard to stick to it also.
We've been working on a solution and have now released a new and improved platform that combines the heater element and platform into one 3mm aluminium bed.
Besides just being flatter, there is better heat distribution to the edges and to the steel Flexplate. The steel Flexplate also grips better to the new platform (less likely to slip) and the magnets also perform better. There’s also no need for the springs any more, it just fixes straight onto the stand-offs. It also runs at a higher wattage and heats up quicker too.
📷 Aluminium Heated Print Platform
Unfortunately we're not be able to offer it as a free replacement but we are making it available at essentially a cost price. It's now available for pre-order (until 26th May) for £20. We're hoping to start sending them out on the 10th of June.
RRP after the pre-order window will be £36.
Tracked shipping:
UK Shipping: £2.99
EU Shipping: £8.99
International Shipping: £11.99
Further note on shippping:
The size/weight heated platform (0.65KG) on it’s own just fits into our first shipping bracket, any extra item will tip the shipping into the next bracket.
If you order anything else we would still ship everything together with the new platform around the 10th of June.
UK shipping brackets:
Royal Mail Tracked Large Letter - 0-0.7KG: £2.99
Royal Mail Tracked Parcel - 0.71-1.99KG: 3.99
Express Courier - 2-25KG: £7.99
EU shipping brackets:
Royal Mail Tracked Large Letter - 0-0.7KG: £8.99
Royal Mail Tracked Parcel - 0.71-1.99KG: 14.99
Express Courier - 2-25KG: £15.99
Rest of World shipping brackets:
Royal Mail Tracked Large Letter - 0-0.7KG: £11.99
Royal Mail Tracked Parcel - 0.71-1.99KG: 15.99
Express Courier - 2-7.99KG: £24.99
Express Courier - 8-25KG: £34.99 (USA/Canada) £54.99 (Rest of World)
Unfortunately, my new bed dips in the middle very slightly (~0.1mm) and I've had to reuse the springs to sort out alignment. There's a few variables, such as how tightly the brass standoffs are screwed in, weight of the connecting cables and manufacturing tolerances.
If you redesign the bed, I'd recommend putting standoffs / screw holes in 6 places rather than 4. Also, with the new bed, there needs to be someway to hold the cables away from the print head. I used one of the spare screws and a cable tie to hold it underneath as it was clipping the fans.
Apologies everyone for not being as active on the forum as I usually am - it's been quite busy these past few weeks as there is a new project in the works, we should be releasing very very soon! (however not the Proforge 3...yet)
@Makertech,
tried to contact you a couple of day ago through the contac form on the website re:shipment on hold, can you please reply? Thanks
Installed new bed, definitely heats up quicker and is flat. I installed it without the standoffs to get a bit more height, prints sticking and bottoms so much better!
only negative would be that the cable tie down point is missing, so I get more cable rubbing than before.
Now to try again to get my second hot end working....
My package arrived in USA yesterday. That was very fast because it only took 2-3 days to reach here. Thanks. I will go ahead to finish my printer building with new print platform.
UPDATE:
There has been a slight delay in the manufacturing of the platforms but we're still expecting to be sending the the platforms out before the end of the month. We'll be sending out an official email update when we have a certain date on the shipping.
Thank you everyone for your patience.
Any update on shipping of the new bed?
I was "brave" and ordered it really hoping that this kills lots of issues I do have. One concern I have: how do I remove the magnets from the original buildplate in order to place them again onto the new heated bed? I think they will not stick any more and then I have to order new heat resistent tape or something...
Warranty Per the Website: “We rigureously test and quality control to ensure you recieve high quality components that function the way they were intended to.
However in the slim case you do recieve a faulty part or one that was damaged in transit we'll send out a replacement for you right away for up to an entire year after your purchase!”
Warranty Per the Kickstarter FAQ: “We offer a 1 year warranty on all components from the date your Proforge 2 ships and promise to replace any defect part/s. The warranty does not apply on accidental user damage from improper use or assembly.”
I gotta say, this is a pretty bitter pill to have to swallow considering the cost of shipping. As it stands, I have a printer that works as long as I use no more than a 50mm footprint and a DSE that failed before it could even finish calibrating, neither issue caused by “improper use or assembly”. When I submitted a claim I was told:
“We’re aware of the issues with these two components, we’re looking into improvements/solutions, should hopefully have something solid in a week or so.
We can send you a replacement servo if needed.
We can send you a replacement platform, but can’t guarantee it will be flatter than the one you already have.”
I opted to hold off on replacement parts to prevent unnecessary costs and now I have to essentially pay "extra" for a replacement. While I understand the new heated bed being more costly to manufacture, resulting in it not being a free replacement, I would have expected shipping costs to have been waived since it is a replacement of a defective part. Essentially, I can get a free likely-faulty platform with free shipping, or pay for a supposedly better upgrade ($25) AND pay for shipping ($15!!). I say supposedly better as there is no real proof other than the fact that I assume you tested them, but the original should have been tested as well, meaning either they were not tested thoroughly enough or there was an expected failure rate which was deemed acceptable and neither option really instills cause for confidence in the new version.
so wouldn't that be covered under warranty?
yet another disappoinment