Yes, it is velcro on steroids, but its quite rigid and when taking a moment to make sure all the surface is pressed together it should end up where you expect it to.
I have used this to affix removable signage on gates for some high tech self-serve convenience stores as part of a pilot program, which was a satisfactory solution for the client (who is rather enormous) due to its strength.
Mostly because I don’t like the letter T 
No, serious: T-slots are great for clamping things down. Very easy to use, They give you a lot of flexibility and it’s just a really quick when using them.
However:
(Build A MDF T-Slot Spoilboard For Your CNC Machine - YouTube).But probably the most important reason:
So in stead of buying a t-slot board, have something crafted myself, just using the snapmaker. (excluding nuts, bolts and magnets obviously )Well, one thing we definitely have learned is that SM’s choice to go with a lot of screws wasn’t just out of cheapness or lazy design.
I would think 2 or 3 t-slots with matching rails attached to the beds would work. Then have a set of pins that raise up with a sliding mechanism to lock it in place.
-S
I was thinking of using https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4700986 to build a quick replacement bed as well.
A few tweaks and that design should work fine. I’d lose about 1 cm of build height which isn’t ideal, but should be fine.
I was going to screw it straight into the wasteboard, build a new spider for the laser base, and use the metal one for the heated bed.
I might go and tweak that design further to make it lower profile.
Do you think that would be rigid enough for mounting the bed? What material would you be making it out of?
I’m not really sure if I understand how you would implement it though.
Ok, after some fooling around this weekend I think I have a solution that will be satisfactory for me.
I’ve published all my files and OpenSCAD source code on github:
I’ve ended up going with the magnet based solution and it seems to work really well. Using 4 pot magnets the beds attach with enough force so that I can lift the machine up by picking it up by the bedplate. I assume that should be strong enough
To prevent it from sliding sideways, I’ve embedded the magnet and metal counter discs into a “pot” and “lid” which snap together perfectly and consistently in the same space as well.
So far I’m really pleased with this solution. My proof of concept version works great. Now I just have to wait for my order of inserts to arrive so I can create the final versions of the top-boards.
A video of it in action (preview should work now):
https://1drv.ms/v/s!ArWNERowM_MXrVhKSm1dD6fUEsuZ?e=Vewce6
(yes it’s the experimental version and a leftover piece of wood used. Final version will be a full plate obviously :))
Some pictures, also included on the github page:
biggest disadvantage: losing up to 36mm of height. This can be rather easily reduced to max 26mm by using 10mm MDF in stead of 18mm MDF for the top plates. It could probably be reduced even more by countersinking the carriage in the bottom plate. (mounting directly on the Y-axes isn’t a viable option I think)
But for me personally, it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. And if needed, it’s still removable. Up till now I didn’t encounter any project yet where I needed to go that high. (Not yet at least, I’m sure this will come back to me as a boomerang really fast )
I think it’d be rigid enough for the bed, especially given the slop that exists currently with the linear modules (something that I want to fix at a later point).
It’s what i use for the print head, and the linear rail flexes before the printed part does.
I’m going to start off printing it in PLA and see how that goes. My biggest worry is whether it’ll handle the temperature of the print bed without warping.
If that’s not rigid / does not handle the temperature, I’m thinking of using ePAHT-CF（Nylon Carbon Fiber） | eSUN 3D Printing Materials. That material is incredibly rigid and has heat resistance well above what the bed can put out.
On thingiverse someone posted files following another approach where the different build plates stay attached to the platform:
Quick Release Bed
Major drawback are the additional platforms needed. 
Cool,
it’s quite simple and elegant. If I understand correctly, the printed parts are permanently mounted to the carriage and then it’s a friction fit on the linear modules (where you normally fasten it with screws). I guess this combined with what @flametornado would do could be a nice solution too.
Needing multiple carriages is a bit of a drawback indeed. But it would work on any model (A150, A250 and A350). that’s nice too.
I’m a bit worried about the friction-fit for cnc though. The type of connector is actually the same as what @brent113 was mentioning in post 13 in this topic. But then at the level of the print-carriage.
For me personally it doesn’t check the box of extra rigidity and mostly being able to have fully flat base platform (which can be milled flat if needed. But you have carriages with really low tolerances, that’s not an issue obviously. (hoping the new ones they deliver now will be more stable)
A big advantage is that you hardly lose any height and it’s a quite simple to make.
Something that popped up in my mind and just dawned to me, so wanted to write it down before I forgot:
It might also be an option to use the t-slots the other way round. Have a plate where you mount the printbed/laserbed on (or the cnc-wasteboard as is) but don’t put the t-slot on the top side, but on the bottom side.
And use a t-slot clamp that pulls the plate against the carriage. It should be possible have it pull down against the carriage at some point, or perhaps remove the 4 insertnuts on the corners and find a clamp with a shaft < than the M6 hole.
You don’t lose that much height, you can secure it safely and it’s relatively easy to do so. And probably less work too.
I modified the tool head quick change bit from my previous post and printed a set for the print bed and attached it yesterday.
I think it’s safe to say it’s pretty quick to swap over. It also seems fine with the heat from a 6 hour print and the flex doesn’t seem much worse compared to before.
pretty nice!
Do you know for how much they are selling the carriages? There not listed on the store.
I was just going to make a pair of carriages from plywood for now for the cnc and laser cutter plates.
I feel like the quality of the snapmaker carriages isn’t amazing, and I’m likely to see if I can just get them made at a local metal shop.
I think the cad drawings are available somewhere in one of these forum threads.
I tried to ask them for a price on the new carriage design and they wouldn’t even give it to me, i think they are still not happy with it.
Tooling for a casting that size has to be a decent chunk of change, even in china.
They are probably going to have to make a new design altogether, attaching the spiked webs likely wasnt enough to fix the issue, but a good attempt tbh.
I was just going to see how much it’d cost to have it milled out of a sheet (or water cut).
I was half thinkin bout asking my laser cutting vendor about making me one out of carbon steel and then powder coating
i dont know if that would be too heavy or not
I’m a little late to the party, but an idea from the woodworking world, what if you (maybe printed) a “dovetail bed”, something with V slots in both the X/Y and Y/Z orientation, it’d allow for easy interlocking plates, and if you make enough slots, it could be really powerful with friction fitting.
You could then attach the ends just using some locking clasps (like this: https://www.amazon.com/Rannb-Toggle-Stainless-Catches-Toolbox/dp/B07HD246X2) to hold them in place after you slot the 2 halves into each other.
Quick sketch of my idea:
bottom piece:
top piece:
locked together (tension would be applied from the front to the back, so the locking clasps would attach to the sides to pull the grooves/tongues into each other):
T op view of the grooves, since they’re a “sloping V” shape, when slotted into each other and pulled tight, they’ll line up and grip each other
Of course, with this idea if you printed it, I’d be worried about the layer adhesion, since there would be a lot of stress between layers. Maybe it could be something that you print standing up, you get the benefit of having to literally rip ~100mm of plastic in half (I’m getting images of 2 phone books holding up a car from that MythBusters episode). Or you could maybe put some bolts through the halves (top to bottom) to hold the tension.
It’s never too late to join a good party 
I like the idea. It looks like a more elaborate implementation of these clips I mentioned here: Idea for quick switch bed: feedback requested - #18 by brvdboss (used to hang furniture from the wall). (I tried to print the stl version I created in the post after it, but that didn’t work out great. dimensions aren’t completely accurate enough either)
And it was @brent113 who came up with the original idea of using this type of connection in the first place (Idea for quick switch bed: feedback requested - #14 by brent113)
Some remarks based on my experience with trying to create 3d-printed friction fit parts:
It’s quite a challenge to get the dimensions exactly right. By default you’re either too loose or to tight so you can hardly separate them afterwards 
Been there, done that. (Although in some cases you can use that to your advantage)
If you want to go further with this idea. (And I think it could be a nice combo with the approach of @flametornado. Have one clip your style, and one version he has, then there is only one handle needed to release.)
Some tips to maybe make it more 3d-printable proof:
Personally I’ll first explore the magnet approach a bit further. Yesterday, my order of threaded insert screws finally arrived so I’ll finish that version first do some real-world testing on that before trying to improve further Hope to provide some updates after next weekend.
Awesome, yea my design was just 30 seconds in f360 to get a visual of the cleat idea. Obviously when making the real thing I’d get generous with the fillet and offset faces tools 
.
Thinking about it a tiny bit more, planning to have the 2 sides sit a bit proud of each other in the Y direction, and be a bit short in the Z direction would allow them to guide into each other without ever fully engaging until they’re “locked in” and I wouldn’t have to worry so much about tolerances.
Instead of relying on clasps, maybe just a simple ratchet clamp could work (wrapped around the “sides” of the 2 plates to tension them into each other)
I think I’ll try printing a small scale version soon, just to test my idea. I’m very curious about the “can’t get them apart” idea you bring you up.
Ok, my “cleat plate” prototype is working amazingly, 1mm plates w/ 3mm cleats, total height of 5mm for the whole setup (probably could go down to 2mm cleats, the 3mm cleat is ridiculously sturdy).
.1 mm tolerance here, I tried some with .2 tolerance, and it was a bit too much, this leaves me wanting just ever so slightly more (the cleats bind before the last print layer 
), so I might go with .125 or something
My plan is to make a full “bed” worth of cleats. I’ll then mill 2 complimentary beds out of something (they’re actually both just the same thing), and then the cleats can be inset into the bottom and top:
The question now becomes what to mill out of, you all said were saying you’re using MDF/plywood, are you worried about the flatness of that at all? I’d be especially worried using magnets and screws in MDF that it would warp pretty drastically with temperature changes.
Also, not trying to rain on your parade, but magnets and heat don’t usually mix so well, I’d be a bit worried about losing “adhesion” if the bed gets warm enough if using magnets to hold everything together.
