Model C MagHold Magnetic Build System for FF Creator (2016 and Later), FF Dreamer and others.

UPDATE (1 YEAR AND 9 MONTHS LATER): The product is still working GREAT! A fantastic product! It is the best 3D printer upgrade there is. Too bad this is no longer available.This is an extremely useful upgrade for any 3D printer. Every printer should have one.PROS:* Remove printed parts easily.* Replace build surfaces easily* Switch build surfaces in seconds.* Easily customizedCONS:* The replacement aluminum build platform plate must fit your printer exactly.PROS IN DETAILPRO 1: REMOVE PRINTED PARTS EASILYThis build platform solves one of the most annoying problems in 3D printing: removing stuck parts. Several times I have nearly destroyed build platforms trying to remove stuck prints from BuildTak, PET tape, blue painter's tape, etc. I have permanently damaged my thumbnail in the process. If using something like BuildTak, PEI, etc., sometimes parts stick so well that's it's next to impossible to remove them normally. With this system you can remove virtually any print without much effort by easily removing the spring steel sheet the build surface is attached to and flexing it. With this system, I can print ABS, and have it stick like super glue to the BuildTak, and then when done, remove the surface, flex it, and the print comes off easily. It's a breeze to use.Even if you print on glue stick, which doesn't usually have issues with stuck prints, there's still an advantage to using this system: you can remove parts almost immediately. You don't need to wait for them to cool down. While glue stick is one of the few good solutions to preventing stuck prints, it's not convenient to use, and sometimes it doesn't work well, especially if the glue stick isn't applied exactly right. Glue stick cleanup and reapplication is also quite a pain.PRO 2: REPLACE BUILD SURFACES EASILYThe other annoying problem of 3D printing is build surface replacement. No matter what build surface you use, there will be times when you need to replace it. If your printer is an enclosed printer, like mine is, you normally need to remove the entire build platform before replacing the build surface, or it's extremely difficult to do. With this system, if you have an extra spring steel sheet, you can prepare a second new print surface while your current print is printing. Then when your print is done, you can immediately swap the used surface for a new one in just seconds. This is a real time saver. Sure, a removable glass build platform also has this advantage, but removing a stuck print from glass is a dangerous task, which is a problem this system doesn't have.PRO 3: SWITCH BUILD SURFACES IN SECONDSThe other advantage to this system is the ability to swap build surfaces easily. I use a few different build surfaces. My current favorites for most filament types are BuildTak and PEI. Some filament sticks better to BuildTak, and some sticks better to PEI. Some filament can't stick on either, and requires a special build surface. For example polypropylene filament will not print on BuildTak, PEI, or most other surfaces, even with glue stick added. It does print well on HDPE or polypropylene tape. Because I print with some unusual filament from time to time, I need multiple build surface materials. Previously, it was a real pain to swap build surfaces. With this system I bought extra spring steel sheets to apply a different build surface to each sheet. I can swap my build surfaces in and out within seconds, and go from printing ABS to polypropylene easily. It is so convenient.PRO 4: EASILY CUSTOMIZEDI was able to create by own magnetic PEI build surface by attaching a 0.03" PEI sheet to an extra Maghold spring steel sheet I purchased. I attached it easily using 3M 468MP tape. Using the PEI build surface set to 105 C, I am able to print very large ABS parts without them lifting at the corners. Then when the print is done, I can flex the spring steel, and off comes the part with almost no effort. Super convenient!Any magnetic surface can be held onto the build plate. I don't need to use spring steel sheets. For example, you can use a plastic HDPE sheet for printing polypropylene on, and make the HDPE sheet stick to the build platform magnetically by simply screwing magnetic metal plates into the bottom of the HDPE plastic in key locations to make it stick to the build plate's magnets. I give HDPE as an example because it's notoriously difficult to glue HDPE to anything. Gluing HDPE to the spring steel sheets is next to impossible. I have in the past attempted to print polypropylene on HDPE without this product, and when the HDPE heats to 100 C, the HDPE begins to bow, making it difficult to use. I would clamp it down with bulldog clips at the edges, but then the center would bow. With this product I can screw a few metal plates on the back, and the HDPE stays firmly in place, no part bows when it gets hot.THE SINGLE CON IN DETAILNow for the con. This is something to worry about for a certain percentage of buyers. The replacement aluminum build platform plate must fit your printer exactly. Anytime you buy a 3rd party replacement part, there's always a chance that it won't fit exactly. There's no guarantee that a 3D printer manufacturer will keep using the exact same parts for all printers of a certain model. Sometimes, they change parts between different batches of the same product. So expect that when the product arrives, it's possible that you might need to modify it before using it. Most of the time this is not case.The aluminum plate did not fit my FlashForge Dreamer. I talked with Maghold about the issue I faced, explaining in detail why it didn't fit, and found out that the issue I faced is apparently no longer an issue with their latest version of this product.I used this product on one of the original FlashForge Dreamer 3D printer models. Unfortunately, FlashForge has changed their build platform heater PCB design more than once. By heater PCB is REV G. Even though I purchased the FlashForge Dreamer model of this product, it did not fit my very early version of the FlashForge Dreamer. All the screws fit, and orientation was correct, but the back of my heater's PCB, where the connectors are, was not lined up properly with a cove cut on the replacement aluminum build platform's bottom back. This cove cut has been changed in newer versions of the Maghold to fix this issue, but not on the one I received from Amazon. My heater PCB connectors were many millimeters left of where they are expected to be on the aluminum plate I received, so I could not completely screw the new aluminum build platform onto my Dreamer's heater PCB because the aluminum bumped the PCB connectors. It didn't have enough space for both connectors. I had to modify the aluminum plate to make it fit. I used a Dremel and a #117 Dremel High Speed Steel Cutter tool bit to extend the bottom back cove cut of the new aluminum build platform, extending it left about 8 mm and deepening the cove cut about 2 mm up towards the top of the aluminum build plate, in order to make it fit the connectors on my heater's PCB. This was relatively easy to do using a Dremel and the #117 bit. It's easy to cut aluminum with that bit. I did also use the Dremel plunge router attachment to make the cut easier to perform. And of course I wore safety glasses when I did this modification. Again, the newer versions of the Maghold aluminum plate don't have he issue I ran into.GLASS BUILD SURFACE COMPARISONA removable glass build plate was an older idea, and it has several disadvantages. The main disadvantage is that you can't flex the glass to remove a stuck print. Also, glass takes much longer to heat up compared to aluminum or spring steel sheets, and requires more power to heat it to the same temperature. Glass doesn't conduct heat that well. The other dangerous disadvantage is the potential of the glass to break into razor sharp shards of glass, which has happened to me. Sometimes the glass will break suddenly without warning because of all the stress it has to endure from temperature changes and part shrinkage. Sometimes, removing a stuck print will lead to broken glass. If you print on glass, I guarantee it will eventually crack. The only advantage glass might have over this product is it's flatness. Some float glass is extremely flat. However, this advantage is minimal at best. The aluminum plate this product has is machined to be extremely flat, and is thick enough that it will not warp under usage. The spring steel that lays on top of the aluminum is also very flat. I can easily level my build platform. I see no issues with high or low areas on the print surface.However, if for some reason you want a glass build surface, you could always use 3M 468MP tape to attach some float glass to a extra spring steel sheet and then you can use it with the magnetic build plate whenever you want a glass surface. It will stay firmly in place, no annoying clips needed.CONCLUSIONDespite having to modify the aluminum plate, the product is a fantastic product. Worth every penny. As soon as my print is done, I remove the spring steel sheet, and put my next spring steel sheet on and start printing my next print immediately. While the next print begins, I can easily move my finished print without delaying anything. What a time saver. Note that you only get 1 spring steel sheet with the order. I recommend getting an extra one if you want to really speed up the printing process.The product is well made. A lot of thought went into its design. The magnets are very powerful neodymium magnets. The magnets are held in place mechanically with screws, and spaced so that there's no point where the spring steel sheet can easily lift on its own. If for some reason you ever need to replace one of the magnets, this is easily done by unscrewing the magnet and putting a new one in. The seller is able to supply replacement magnets. The front top of the aluminum build platform has a cove cut into it. This makes it easy to lift the spring steel sheets off of the aluminum build platform. Despite flexing the spring steel sheets many times, the spring steel sheets have not deformed, and lay perfectly flat once attached to the build platform.

This is an awesome upgrade. Easy to install and will make your life easier. It is so nice to remove the build plate and flex it a bit and your print pops off. I am going to a couple more of the build plates so I can have them ready for different materials.

This build plate is one of those things that you install painlessly, and then use without further bother. To that end, after owning it for several months, I can say that my under-adhesion/over-adhesion problems regarding ABS have been entirely eliminated. However, I use rafts as a preference.This product is high-quality and solves the problem it was designed to. My 3D printing problem has advanced to other challenges: using the software (various) and experimenting with dual-filament/dual-extruder scenarios. I have 2016 FlashForge Pro Dual.

Works great. Easy to remove parts by bending flexible plate.I will not use a printer without one of these.

Great product. Extremely well made and simple to install if one follows the instructions. Comes with a removable steel plate with buildtac applied

Type C FITS FF Creator Pro (NEW) 2016 models.I am so stoked. Doing my first print on it now. Alan P did an excellent job assisting me with the install.I gave it 5 stars because the build quality and look is amazing. It is just so inconvenient to have to return a product.

This is probably the only upgrade I'll buy or feel the need to make to my FF Creator Pro. This is also one of the only reviews I've felt the need to post, over my several hundred Amazon purchases in the past year. It's that good. Glad I got one before they sold out, get 'em while they're hot!

Great product. Makes it easier to remove prints and to prep the build platform.