This Creality Carborundum Glass Bed is 235x235mm in size, so as to accommodate the classic 220x220mm build volume featured on many models from the Ender 3 and Ender 5 Series, as well as the CR-20 and CR-20 Pro. These beds are made from tempered glass but have been coated with a specialized material that not only increases durability and resistance to warping but also offers some cool print benefits too. Firstly, these beds are based on the Anycubic UltraBase design, with a crossed pattern that traps bubbles of air and helps to form a vacuum at high temperatures, before expanding to pop prints off once the bed cools down. This is fantastic for 3D Printing, as it means high grip during the printing process, but also easy removal once the print is done. Secondly, these types of beds also offer a very cool bottom-layer surface finish, being extremely smooth with tiny ridges crisscrossing throughout. And while it can’t quite compete with the extremely smooth surface finish of PEI, it very much has its own unique appeal, especially when printing large flat objects like enclosure panels.

In terms of what the surface treatment is (and we think that it’s similar for the UltraBase too), it is made from a specialized Silicone Carbide semiconductor material, often referred to as Carborundum, and this offers a similar processing style to glass, but once processed offers a hardness of 8 Mohs. This is the same hardness rating of Topaz and actually makes it quite difficult to damage the bed, which of course is the third key feature of these beds, greatly resisting any forms of scratches and other surface damage. Conversely, on previous non-coated tempered glass beds, one small mistake like a harsh nozzle scrape could easily gouge the surface, leaving a permanent mark and in turn transferring that mark to every model printed on that part of the bed. This means that this bed not only offers better Adhesion Assistance but also a vastly greater lifespan with impressive durability even against strong mechanical stepper motor forces, making it one of the best beds you can buy in terms of both effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.