Should we merge tag "bed" and "build-plate"?

Question

As the question states, should bed and build-plate be merged? Basically, both tags refer to the same part of the printer; bed should be a synonym for build-plate.

Answer 1

It should not be about merging of tags, rather we should come up with a proper terminology to identify the correct parts of the "build platform".

Basically, every printer consists of a frame with some sort of guide rails¹ moving a carriage. On this carriage a build surface is attached where the printer prints the print on; it is always the top of the stack. Note that this can be e.g. a moving Y-axis² or moving Z-axis carriage³. In some cases the carriage is missing and there is just a static mounting, then it's a platform instead⁴. It is basically irrelevant if the build surface is glued to the stack or removeable in some way or another.

Between the carriage and the build surface you can have have a stack of multiple elements: a structure or structures, a plate, plates or matts, insulation, etc. This whole assembly of elements make up the build platform, an example is shown below.

Note that the linear support can be mounted in Y or Z direction. To tag the elements that make up the build platform assembly, a proposed solution can consist of the following terms for subassemblies:

• z-axis or y-axis in combination with carriage,
• platform (to support printers that have a solid platform, e.g. Hyrel/Delta)
• heated-bed (aluminium bed or a silicone matt), which can have a
• glass-print-surface, pei-print-surface, buildtak-print-surface, etc. possibly augmented with the additional tag of removeable-print-surface or magnetic-print-surface.

Annotations

1. The rails often take the shape of rods and bearings, linear rails of V-slot profile.
2. Carthesian Portal or Cantilever printers
3. CoreXY like the Hypercube
4. Delta Printers

Answer 2

Edit: I like Trish's suggestion best.

I vote no. Our (Hyrel) printers have, on some models, a thick aluminum bed that can reach 200C, but we expect users to mount different build-plates on it, depending on what material they're printing with. These can be coated with PEI, garolite, polycarbonate, or others; or they can be commercial build plates like GeckoTek or Anycubic Ultrabase.

You heat the bed. You print on the build plate. In some cases, these may be a single item.

Answer 3

I too vote for no, but for different reasons:

The y-axis or z-axis hold the carriage, which levels the Printbed. The bed can be heated and is the carrier for the build-surface. For example, whenever we talk about a "glass bed" we actually mean a glass build-plate that is mounted on a heated bed. Springsteel usually is correctly referred to as build surface. BuildTak and other build-surfaces are bonding directly to the bed. The distinction is pretty much along these lines:

• The mechanical moving system is under the bed
  • the heating effect of this makes it a heated-bed
• The area directly in contact with the extruded plastic is the build-surface
• The plate in contact with the curing resin in an SLA printer would be the build-surface

Technically, there might be a renaming needed closely related:

• glass-bed to glass-build-surface?