Can I use Toaster Heating Element for Heatbeds.

Hi ,

So I have decided to make a 3 D printer and was wondering why we all have these 12 v 120 - 200 Wats heating beds, That is Lot of current. Although it does simplifies the overall design, Wouldn't it be better to use a Nichrome wire heting element (If i can find an enamel coated one) or simply wrecked toaster repaired or just a cheap 500W toaster's heating element.

As far as I know such design would just require a toaster, a 3-5A 300V AC relay and a Thermistor, Heat can be controlled by Heating a 1 mm sheet of aluminum with glass on top of it.. and lots of Kapton Tape.
Or is there really somthing wrong with this approach that I am not able to observe.
Also yes I do understand as first time maker of 3d Printer I should keep thinks simple and tested, so this is just a Brainstorming..

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/18/2016 08:45AM by Angel_Wing.

The problem with that idea is that there's no efficient way to couple the heat from the toaster wire to the aluminum. That means it is going to run very hot, maybe dangerously so.

Cheap coffee makers have a 1 kW heater in them that is clamped to the flat warming plate at the bottom of the machine. Old coffee makers are readily available from second-hand stores and at garage sales very cheaply ($0.25-5). It isn't too hard to mount the heater on an aluminum printer bed plate. Adding a single diode rectifier (suitably heat-sinked) in series with the heater will reduce power by 1/2 and put it into the realm of adequate but not too excessive power for heating a print bed. Coffee maker heaters have a thermostatic switch attached that prevents them from getting dangerously hot after the water has boiled away. I'm not sure what temperature trips the switch, but it may be a useful safety feature to include it in the bed heater circuit. The heater is typically pretty small, and print beds typically pretty large, so unless you use a relatively thick aluminum bed plate, the temperature may not be very even across the plate's surface.

Those heaters can also be mounted on a heat sink with a small fan directed at them to make a compact print chamber warmer for printing ABS in enclosed printers.

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Ultra MegaMax Dominator 3D printer: [drmrehorst.blogspot.com]

Werner Berry of BerryBot fame has a nice video on making a heated bed using Nichrome wire.

I Like the Coffee Heater Idea, If I use it i'll call the Machine the Modular Mecha Mocha L'Art'e.
To clean nozzle flush it through with coffee.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2016 07:53AM by MechaBits.

One guy a while back used the heating parts of clothes iron, one hell of a way to avoid ironing if you ask me!


From [pdf417.blogspot.co.nz]

Also see [richrap.blogspot.co.nz]

Thanks Guys,

I think I will try nichrome Wire too on a sepearte heat bed design..