The Bambu Lab X1C has an interesting option. It looks for a marker on the building plate, and warns you if the plate inserted does not match the one you've used during slicing. Pretty convenient, isn't it?
The P1S and P1P don't use this code, and many cheaper build plates don't have a code. So what to do?
Get them somewhere!
Jump on AliExpress / any other one of your favorite online selling platforms, and buy these:
...or print them yourself. Then glue them onto your plate. Keep in mind that those plates will run around 50 to 100 degrees, and the stickers will be subject to quite some wear and tear.
Or simply turn plate detection off in your X1C. After all, it currently only needs two (three?) codes...
Warning!
A warning on after-market / third party plates. Make sure the 'head cleaning' area has a gap matching those of the official plates, and that the head cleaning area flexes enough to handle the head cleaning operation.
When in doubt compare it with how much a Bambu plate bends in this area.
If you use an aftermarket plate made of thicker steel, or one that has this area covered with a film, then you could damage your printer!
Foreshadowing...
Let's start with the conclusion: effectively, Bambu Lab only uses two different codes these days: one for Textured PEI, and one for everything else (Smooth / High Temp), especially as the Engineering plate isn't available. This turns the whole thing into a bit of a gimmick.
So stick to these two, unless something new shows up...
I suspect it DOES use the sticker for self calibration information, but I can't find any details on this. I would refrain from using the complete wrong sticker on another plate, though I guess 99.9% would work fine with the two shown above...
How it works
Each (type of) plate has a specific purpose, and certain characteristics. To put this to best use you have to select the proper plate type in your slicer.
1. Select the right type of plate in your slicer (Prepare / Plate Type)
2. When slicing, the slicer will adjust parameters, such as an offset in the Z-direction, and may use other parameters. (I couldn't find a detailed description of this. If you have a link, please share it!)
3. Before the printer starts printing it reads the code on the plate, and compares it with the g-code it received from the slicer. If those don't match - or if it can't read the code on the plate - it will throw an alert.
4. The printer uses plate and slicing information to level and calibrate. (Up to what level I don't know, again, if you have a link etc. etc. etc. 😏)
Known types
Six different codes have been used thus far, as far as I know.
Bambu's messy waters
Bambu Lab muddies the waters a bit by mixing up the terms for plates and sheets, and then added some marketing 😓
What they call a 'plate sheet' is actually the flexible sticker (film, sheet) placed on top of a plate (the spring steel carrier). Also, some plates have on one side Engineering Plate surfaces (smooth coating, no sticker) and on the other side a film (for example the Cool Plate).
4x4 AND 5x5?!?
What's cool is that they use both Aruco 4x4 and Aruco 5x5 codes... Duh? Well, cool or stupid... I'm not even sure if that's smart, dumb, or just weird... Or they moved from 5x5 to 4x4 because that way building plates are easier to produce and scan. That would make sense...
Location
... isn't always consistent, it seems. And I did notice my X1C halting twice to scan the codes.
Here are some examples.
Hmmm.... Why would the Lightyear G10 Pro use a High Temperature code? Wouldn't it be better to use the Smooth / High Temp code instead? Oh well...
I. Textured PEI Plate
The black is the old one, the golden one is new, and they do have different codes on the plate (though not in the slicer). Both sides have the same texture.
These plates are powder coated, so there's no separate film on top of a spring steel carrier. There must be some kind of difference between the old textured plate and the new one, as they have different codes. I've read some user statements that say the black ones were not as sturdy as the golden ones.
The (old) Textured Plate code is also used by Polyurea plates.
II. Bambu Smooth PEI Plate
Steel plate with a smooth PEI film on both sides. Interestingly it's black, whilst most third party smooth PEI plates I've seen thus far were either gold, or plain transparent.
III. Bambu Dual Textured PEI Plate
I was expecting a plate with two sides of the same structure, but this one is actually one side Smooth PEI film, and on the other side Textured PEI.
IV. Bambu Engineering Plate
A smooth plate with a coating on both sides. Currently not for sale.
According to this page, the Engineering Plate is for everything but PLA.
V. Bambu Cool Plate
A plate with on one side the Engineering Plate coating, and on the other side a Cool Plate film. Currently not for sale.
According to this page, the Cool Plate runs up to 65 degrees, but is only suitable for PLA. I suspect this one has effectively been replaced with the Smooth PEI plate.
Another observation: I've seen Cool Plate codes with 4x4 and 5x5 Aruco codes.
VI. Bambu High Temperature Plate
A plate with on one side the Engineering Plate coating, and on the other side a High Temperature Plate film. Currently not for sale.
I suspect this one has effectively been replaced with the Smooth PEI plate.
There is a code for the High Temperature Plate, but the example on Bambu's shop shows the Smooth / High Temperature code. If there is a difference in practice then that's a carefully kept secret.
(The High Temperature Plate film may be thinner than the regular PEI film, if I understood correctly.)
VII. Bambu High Temperature Spare Sheet
The Aruco code suggests this is - again - the Smooth PEI sheet, not the original spare High Temperature sheet.
Summary
Effectively, Bambu Lab currently only uses two different codes for all plates: one for Textured PEI, and one for everything else (Smooth / High Temp).
That turns plate recognition into a bit of a gimmick. Maybe it made a lot of sense when they developed the X1C, but plate technology has caught up, it seems.
Perhaps it would be nice if Bambu would 'donate' the plate coding to the community, and allow other manufacturers to use the same codes on their machines. Or perhaps they could share an official list of codes, and reserve some spots for exotic materials, or different bed sizes, or other special requirements such as clamps (needed for G10 / FR4 / TK99) to avoid printer head damage.
For example...
- do not wipe nozzle, do not calibrate
- GF on metal plate, nozzle wipe 1 mm below build surface
- GF on rubber - nozzle wipe 0.5 mm above build surface
- PEY plate - don't go above 90 degrees bed temperature
- PEO plate - don't go above 100 degrees bed temperature
... or something else?
Links
- Printables
- Detection of Aruco markers
- Aruco markers generator (use 4x4 or 5x5)
- Aruco marker sheet generator (use 4x4 or 5x5)
- Bambu Lab Wiki - Nozzles, plates, temperatures and materials
More
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