Choosing a build plate for FarmLoop
Build-plate choice is often the difference between “FarmLoop works perfectly” and “I spend every Saturday troubleshooting”. Stage 1 relies on passive bending, so the plate’s grip determines how easily the part releases. Too grippy and the sweep fights the adhesion; too slick and the first layer fails.
FarmLoop build plates
Section titled “FarmLoop build plates”We make our own plates, tuned end-to-end for automatic detachment: machined oval slots, dual-sided surface so you can flip them, and a front lip sized for the Stage 1 bend geometry. This is the plate we recommend first for every new FarmLoop deployment.
Two surfaces are available:
- Double-sided textured PEI, the default, handles PLA / PETG / PLA-CF reliably.
- CryoGrip Pro Glacier, smoother release profile, better for high-volume PLA runs and ABS.
Sizes fit Bambu A1 Mini, A1, and the P / X series.
Order: FarmLoop × BIQU build plates on 3d-farmers.com.
Other plates that work
Section titled “Other plates that work”If you already own one of these, you don’t need to replace it just to run FarmLoop:
| Plate | Notes |
|---|---|
| Bambu original textured PEI | Reference plate. Works well, see the break-in note below. |
| Bambu Engineering / Cool Plate (non-SuperTack) | Fine for PLA with a small Z-offset bump. |
All of the above handle PLA, PETG, and PLA-CF. For ABS, favour the Glacier surface or a broken-in textured plate plus a chamber temperature around 35-40 °C.
Plates to avoid with Stage 1
Section titled “Plates to avoid with Stage 1”These plates are engineered for strong adhesion and manual peel-off. The grip is too high for passive bending to overcome.
| Plate | Why it doesn’t work |
|---|---|
| Bambu Cool Plate SuperTack (Pro) | Designed for manual peel. Parts don’t release even at the lowest threshold temperature. |
| Frostbite | Extreme grip when warm. Entire plate tends to shear off the bed during push. |
| Darkmoon Garolite G10 | Thickness and stiffness confuse homing during the bend motion on X1C. |
If you need strong adhesion for a tricky filament, upgrade to Stage 2 with active bending rather than reaching for a high-adhesion plate. See compatibility.
New plates release better than worn ones
Section titled “New plates release better than worn ones”This is counter-intuitive, so it trips a lot of people up: a fresh plate releases parts more easily than a plate that’s been in service for months. The surface is still intact, and nothing has built up on it.
What makes a plate progressively stickier over time is residue, filament oils, handling marks, fingerprints, skirt and brim remnants. On textured PEI this builds up in the micro-texture where IPA alone doesn’t always reach it. A plate that worked perfectly in week one can become unreliable by month three purely through residue accumulation.
If you’re seeing detachment issues on a plate that’s been in service for a while, swap in a new plate before changing anything else. If the new plate releases cleanly, the old one is residue-contaminated. Give the old plate a deep clean (hot water + dish soap + soft brush, then IPA, then dry completely) and rotate it back into service.
Rotating between two plates roughly doubles useful life per plate and gives you a known-good reference to compare against whenever detachment changes.
Related
Section titled “Related”- Parts won’t detach
- Compatibility, especially the Stage 1 vs Stage 2 section