Just stick our magnet to your bed and slap the flex plate on to the magnet. Start your print like you always do and then when the bed cools (40C or less) you can pop the plate off with our convenient lift tabs and then flex the part off. You’ll love using our plates and if you want even more adhesion than the PEI offers add our EZMat to the rear of the plate for easy printing of other filaments (like ABS, ASA, or Nylon) that require higher temperatures (enclosure required for some filaments).
Maintenance Tip – Make sure to clean your bed before applying the magnet and occasionally wipe down the plate with IPA to keep the surface free of oils for best adhesion.
Important Information
Adhesion Help – Check out our article here: EZMat/EZPei – Adhesion Tips and Tricks
EZMat Usage – Due to the high adhesion of the EZMat you may not want to toss the scraper if you do a large print and you’re using the EZMat surface (if you bought this separately). When using the EZMat on the rear of the plate the magnetic strength will feel less than using a plate with only the PEI surface. We have tested using dual sided applications on our plates in house and they work great even with a surface on both sides.
ABS – You will need to use something like VisionMiner Nano Polymer to stick ABS to PEI, or use our EZMat on the other side of the plate. Smaller parts will stick but larger parts may lift without an adhesion promoter on the PEI surface
PETG/PCTG/TPU – If you are not careful with your 1st layer you can risk bonding the PETG/PCTG/TPU to the PEI surface. This will damage the surface. To prevent damage to the surface apply hairspray or PVA gluestick before printing PETG/PCTG/TPU on the PEI or EZMat surfaces
Part Removal – Make sure your plate is at close to room temp (under 30C) before removing parts. If you remove when hot it more likely to damage the surface.
Maintain Proper Z Height – When starting a print make sure your bed is level and your nozzle is not too close to the bed (if using an ABL system check that your Z offset is correct and use the Babystepping to adjust during a print). Running the nozzle too close will damage the surface and/or embed the plastic into the sheet. Damage due to improper Z height is hard to fix and is not covered under warranty.
Cleaning – Keep the top and bottom of the plate clean as well as the magnet if you get anything on it. IPA is what is recommended to clean the plate and magnetic base. Make sure that no liquids or adhesives are on top of the magnet or bottom of the plate. If liquids are between the magnet and the plate it can damage and degrade the magnet so keep them dry and clean.
Smooth Plates – Protective Film – Some smooth plates may have a CLEAR film on them that is shiny. This may or may not be on your plate depending on if it was removed for quality checking the PEI sheet. If yours has a shiny (not matte) finish then carefully peel the clear film before use. The PEI is yellow, DO NOT REMOVE THE PEI.
Be sure to check your bed side. TH3D is not responsible for the wrong size ordered and/or errors in the listings. We try do our best to keep descriptions up to date but some manufacturers make changes to machines after release.
- PLA – 60C
- HTPLA – 60C
- PETG – 70-80C
- PCTG – 70-80C
- ABS – 100C
Please note that all PEI surfaces are pre-installed on the plates so you will not have to install them yourself. If you purchased the EZMat as well apply this to the side of the plate without the logo on it.
All plates and magnets are inspected to ensure full functionality to make sure they meet our standards for them. We only ship out plates that meet our QC standards.
Smooth PEI plates – These may have a non-uniform appearance under the PEI as that is the adhesive visible through the PEI sheet, this is normal. Additionally, the Smooth PEI plates may have small, cosmetic marks that do not affect functionality from manufacturing and handling.
Textured PEI plates – These may have a non-uniform color appearance as they are sprayed and the PEI is baked onto the plate, this is normal.
Textured plates will have the texture covering the print area for the machines they fit (example: CR-10 has a 310×310 bed but print area is only 300×300).
Plates will not be exchanged if they are in these specifications. Only if a plate has a defect that affects it’s functionality will be considered defective.
Why are there some variances in appearance with the plates?
They are all sprayed (textured) or applied by hand (smooth). It is impossible (even with a machine) to make every single plate absolutely identical. The information provided above is so you know what to expect from the plates
Warranty & Support Information
Technical Support: TH3D Community Support
Technical support with for product it is handled through our TH3D Communities. You can get access to them on our Community Page. If you require consulting time direct from the TH3D team to use/install the part it is available for an additional, hourly consulting charge.
Warranty Length: 3 Months
Our warranty covers any and all defects with the product. If your product fails or has problems within the warranty period you can contact our support team by using the Contact Us link. This is for warranty related issues only, not technical support. Damage/Failure due to improper installation, usage, failure resulting from an issue with the machine the product is installed on, and/or modification or the product is not covered under warranty
Additional Return Information for Flex Plates and Magnets
Due to the consumable nature of the flex plates and the magnets once a product is used it cannot be returned for a full refund in the event that it is returned due to wrong size ordered or any other reason other than a defect in the product.
Ken (verified owner) –
I’ve only printed on Creality’s glass plate for quite a while now using both the side with the coating that is designed to hold the print down and the smooth glass side. My printer came with their CMagnet and I wasn’t a fan of it so I never used it. When I would print on the glass and it was a long print I would always use a raft to prevent it from falling off or having corners peel up. This wasn’t ideal because it caused the print to have a horrible surface finish. I ordered both the textured and smooth flex plates and they work great. The prints stick to the plates perfectly and the textured one leaves a great finish on the part that is touching the plate and the smooth one leaves a nice semi-gloss finish. I used the textured one during an 11-hour print with no raft without any problems. When I removed it off of the plate the bottom was perfect and there was no sign of lifting. The smooth one also works great. I printed a thin 2-hour print on that and there was also no sign of lifting. I wish I would have discovered these plates sooner they are a great addition to any 3D printer and they are working great on my CR-20 Pro. I recommend this to anyone that needs a reliable bed solution.
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Glenn Mctaggart (verified owner) –
do you still need hairspray? or an adhesive on the flex mag plate?
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Tim Hoogland (verified owner) –
PLA do not require anything. ABS sticks well but can still curl up (we use vision miner). PETG/PCTG/TPU should have something between them as they can bond to the PEI.
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joe (verified owner) –
wife got me 3 sets with textured flex mat and i love them they stick to the bed like glue. no more clips or hammering scrapers to get the prints off when done just lift and they pop off. another excellent product
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John (verified owner) –
I was really happy to receive the Smooth PEI surface sheet – especially to finally have a flexible sheet on my Ender 3!
My first few prints on this sheet were GREAT – no issues whatsoever! Prints stuck well, but came off nicely afterward with a quick flex of the plate. This worked especially well when the plate was cool.
However, after about 20 or so prints, the surface seemed to … deteriorate I guess? The surface was still very “sticky” for prints, meaning that they stuck well to it. However, they started to become more and more difficult to remove. No amount of cleaning with alcohol or even soap & water seemed to restore the sheet.
When compared to the flexible steel sheets from – for example – Prusa, this is an inferior sheet.
Still, the price difference plus the fast shipping and support from TH3D (located in the US) is a plus so that’s certainly worth something. For those reasons, I still went with this sheet rather than the Prusa, not to mention it’s made to fit my Ender 3!
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Tim Hoogland (verified owner) –
If your print is sticking too much you need to check your Z offset and change print settings. See our article here for fine-tuning with our plates: EZMat/EZPei/EZFlex – Adhesion Tips and Tricks
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kswan (verified owner) –
I am not new to 3d printing. I am not a 3d printing expert or nerd. From day 1 I was unable to get PLA or PETG to adhere consistently to the smooth and textured sheets. It was hit and miss. I went to the extreme to scuff us the PEI and even resorted to glue sticks. Even then still was inconsistent adherence. Same exact print, same printer settings and one of three stuck.
5 stars for delivery, packing and the magnetic adhesion to the bed.
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Tim Hoogland (verified owner) –
It sounds like you may need to adjust some print settings. Many people run too fast of a 1st layer speed and also do not set their Z height correctly, you want a slight smoosh on the 1st layer and a 20-25% 1st layer speed. We use these plates in our PLA and ABS farm with no issues so it is likely related to the operation of the printer why it is not adhering correctly, not the plate surface itself. See our article here for details: https://support.th3dstudio.com/hc/en-us/articles/360043591911-EZFlex-EZMat-EZPei-Adhesion-Tips-and-Tricks
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fevergeonm (verified owner) –
I have 4 of these setups, 3 of which run 20+ hours a day printing PETG. The PEI works great, and the spring steel plate is awesome for pulling prints off. By far the best upgrade I’ve made to my setups. Highly recommend.
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Question
Katherine Hackworth –
How thick is the PEI on the smooth plates? How thick is the flex plate itself for that matter too?
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Tim Hoogland (verified owner) –
PEI on the smooth is about 0.3mm thick. The plates themselves on all the plates are 0.5mm thick.
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Paul L (verified owner) –
I really like this build plate! The stock bed was fine until I used some “Silk” PLA which stuck so solidly that chunks of the bed surface came up with the print (even with the gentlest scraper tap). The silk still sticks solidly to the new Textured PEI bed surface, but a slight flex breaks the bond without damage to either the print or the bed.
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Question
Tom Berube –
Do i need a release agent (glue stick etc) to print petg on the textured sheet? I have a prusa with their textured sheet (want to buy this for my chiron) and petg basically releases on its own from the textured sheet with no glue stick etc. I’m hoping I can do the same with this textured sheet.
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Tim Hoogland (verified owner) –
The only time a release agent is recommended is with PETG/PCTG type filaments. This is due to many people not watching their Z height and putting the nozzle too close. If your nozzle is too close (especially with PETG) some materials can bond to the PEI and damage the sheet. If you watch your Z height and do not have it too close you can try without but it is highly recommended to avoid that one time the Z height is too close. Hopefully that makes sense but the TLDR is use a release agent with PETG on our plates.
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Joe –
PLA, PETG and nylon stick well, if not a little PVA glue helps. The plate flexes well and returns to shape. The tabs really help removing and aligning the plate. I removed my glass bed and installed the magnetic sheet directly to the aluminum plate. When printing PLA without glue the prints get imprinted with the texture which makes them look cool and hides the extrusion lines. I’ve washed mine in warm water a few times and I haven’t seen any rust yet, just be sure to completely dry the plate before reinstalling. Works great with the EZABL.
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Question
Eric L. (verified owner) –
My Ender 3 Pro is bowed downwards slightly in the middle. I currently use a glass bed and EZABL Pro to account for this and haven’t had any problems with my prints.
I have two questions:
1. Will a flex plate + magnetic base combo work well when placed directly on my slightly warped bed?
2. If not, would it be advisable to place the flex plate & magnetic sheet on top of the glass itself?
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Tim Hoogland (verified owner) –
You will be fine since you have the EZABL on there putting it directly on the bed. The EZABL works 100% with the flex system.
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vipergtsrrt10 (verified owner) –
i love thees build plates i have 4 of them…2 smooth and 1 textured pei plates for my cr10s s5 and 1 smooth pei for my cr10s…i will be getrting the textured plate when they are back in stock..
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Maxime Desouches (verified owner) –
I got my package in, installed in 5 minutes, redone a bed leveling on my Ender 5 plus, my mesh infos were closer to each other across the board.
I chose the « rough » textured surface and the first were a breeze to print.
A must have …
Highly recommended…👍
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TinkerNotion (verified owner) –
I purchased the textured EZFlex, a sheet of EZPEI to place on the other side, and the EZFlex Magnetic Base to place on my Ender 3 Pro’s heated bed (I removed the stock magnetic base when I switched over to a glass bed). Both surfaces have been working great with PETG @ 70°C! After a print is done, I let the bed cool down to about 40-45°C, remove the sheet, give the bed a quick flex, and then use my smooth knife to slide under the print for super easy removal. The smooth knife isn’t necessary, but I generally avoid touching the build surface as much as possible.
PLA also works great on both the textured and smooth surfaces.
I attached a comparison photo of the first layer finish of the textured PEI EZFlex [left] and the Prusa textured steel sheet [right]. The finish of the EZFlex is more “cavernous/valley-like” compared to the Prusa.
I occasionally clean the sheet using some 91% isopropyl alcohol while the bed is cold.
Overall, the EZFlex plate has been a joy to use! I would prefer the bottom textured finish to be a bit smoother to run my finger across, similar to the Prusa, but it’s a minor con.
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Marcos A (verified owner) –
This is a great product when your glass bed is missing some pieces off the surface, in this case my tevo tornado decided to home into the bed and print with nose of hot end into the surface making almost impossible to remove without breaking glass off surface (I’ve fixed the homing issue first and got lucky there was still glass holding silicone heater). More than for the price it’s an amazing product, prints coming off bed with ease on smooth surface, and no heat. Have no cons except the metal sheet’s small tabs used to remove form magnetic sheet makes contact with tornado’s build plate bolts, so I had to bend the tabs up away with a wrench so there would be no bumps on the outer edges. Had the tabs been moved 12 to 15 mm towards the middle it would have fit perfectly. Overall a must for beds that are just glass and glued heaters attached to them.
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Tim Hoogland (verified owner) –
Thanks for letting us know. I’ll see if we can have the tabs pushed in on the 310×310 plates on the next batch.
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Question
JPomodoro –
Two Questions: 1).Do the Smooth PEI sheets use 3M adhesive between the steel and the PEI? 2). How is the textured PEI held unto the steel? Powder Coating? Thanks!
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Tim Hoogland –
1. The smooth is held down with high temp (140C max temp) 3M Adhesive tape to the plates
2. The textured plates have the PEI fused to the plate like a powder coating.
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S. Kuss –
Regarding the textured surface: How goes PETG? Do I still need some sort of release agent, or will the prints come off properly from the textured plate?
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Tim Hoogland –
A release agent would not be a bad idea. PETG tends to like to bond to most surfaces.
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mark.perino (verified owner) –
With PETG and other materials a release agent is a good idea for long life of any sheet smooth or textured. Hairspray or Windex(branded) work well. I print mostly PETG & TPU, occasional PLA.
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Tim Hoogland (verified owner) –
Yes, you need something between PETG and your print surface. If you do not you can damage the surface very easily. You can also print PETG on the bare metal side if you apply Vision Miner Nano Polymer to the steel as well.
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Chris –
I am really only after a textured surface for my PetG prints. Are there any pictures of a sample print from the textured plate I could see? Thanks!
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Tim Hoogland (verified owner) –
Here’s a CF PLA print off the textured sheet: https://imgur.com/a/080Ys6r
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phil.stanz (verified owner) –
I’ve printed on the default Creality Ender 3 build plate, their magnetic build plate, and a glass build plate (with blue tape, glue stick, and hairspray used for better adhesion). The exflex plate (smooth finish) is far and away the best build surface I’ve used. I just watched the best first layer I’ve ever gotten go down. I have the EZABL installed, as well as TH3D’s dual Z kit and the EZFlex build plate has made a bigger difference to my prints than those two combined! I would recommend both the EZABL and Dual Z to anyone, they both work great and are worth the $$ for sure, but the EXFlex build plate is on a whole different level! You won’t get more bang for your buck than this.
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mike-1440 (verified owner) –
Upgrading my old FT-5 to using this plate has breathed new life into a printer that hasn’t been reliable int the past. Compared to the mirror it had been using, this is a huge advantage in reliability, plus the textured plate gives a great look to the first layer.
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Question
mike-1440 (verified owner) –
My first layer was too close, and now there’s a line of ABS that won’t come off. How do you recommend cleaning the textured plate?
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Tim Hoogland (verified owner) –
Normal cleaning would be done with isopropyl alcohol and a soft cloth or heavy duty paper towel. As for the stuck filament you could try to carefully remove it by hand but be careful not to damage the surface.
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Brian Auerbach (verified owner) –
plate yes, absolutely. I have an 500x500mm print surface, and if you actually print a square that large, god help you to remove it… This is absolutely fantastic.
Ive prints 600mm long sticks, and its not curled off the plate, thats pretty impressive.
Only gripe… and its maybe slightly my fault, but I ding it 1 star and mention it for others, dont use a scraper on this. it scratches somewhat easily and you’ll have that imprint on your prints permanently. I had the blue print surface previously without the flex plate, that thing seemed a bit more robust (though it needed to be, as you needed a jackhammer to remove prints). At this point I just know not to try to pry parts off, always flex them off and its fine.
with that said… small prints tend to not like to pop off quite as easily with a simple bend, since their footprint can “ride the wave” of the curve without actually lifting a corner. but you also need to be careful about scraping… Still, Ill never print without one of these.
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