The Maker Select v2 and Plus are both excellent 3D printers for the cost, but there are upgrades that can make them truly brilliant. Upgrades like the Anycubic Heatbed will make your printing easier, and the Y carriage upgrade from Gulfcoast Robotics will make your prints look better. Here are some of our favorites that'll really improve your printing experience.
Essential strengthening
The Y carriage upgrade is an essential one. By stiffening the Y carriage you reduce a lot of issues that arrive when trying to level your bed. You'll see better prints as a result.
Polished glass
Glass print beds offer an un-warpable and cheap build surface. You'll likely need an adhesive to help stick your prints down, especially with the more exotic filaments, but I have found that a light dusting of Aquanet hairspray does the job perfectly. It smells nice too.
Complete bed replacement
This is one of the best upgrades I added to my Maker Select Plus. The Anycubic system replaces your heated bed entirely with an upgraded heating element and a specially coated glass bed. If you can only do one upgrade to your bed, make it this.
Advanced upgrade
The Mosfet is an almost essential upgrade if you're using the Maker Select v2 to print high-temperature filaments. This is a more advanced update since it requires you to open the case and install it inside. If you are heating your v2's bed higher than 50 degrees Celsius, use one of these to avoid burnout.
The leaders in bed surfaces
The Buildtak bed surface is similar to the surface that comes as standard on your Maker Select. The big difference is Buildtak was the first company to make it, so it shows in the quality of the product. A good Buildtak surface will easily last you over 150 prints if you take care of it.
Removable beds are awesome
Another offering from Buildtak, this time in the form of total bed conversion. The Flexplate system adds two magnetic plates to your bed and the printable surface can be removed and flexed to allow your prints to pop off. No more scraping your surface to release your prints.
Silent running
One of the easiest ways to reduce the noise and smooth out your print bed is to replace the bearings from steel balls to Drylin. The Drylin is self-lubricating, meaning your bed should always be smooth sailing unless the rods are bent. Making sure your rods aren't bent is always a good thing to remember.
Magic surface
PEI is an almost magic build surface when it comes to ABS plastic. Even PLA sticks to it amazingly well. With no other adhesive needed, a PEI sheet will hold your print firm when hot and release it when it cooled. You will need to increase your bed temperature if you are using it, but it is well worth tweaking to get it right.
Firm hold
GeckoTeck is another professional build surface company. Like Buildtak, it makes excellent reusable surfaces, but its surfaces can be used for a wide range of filaments. From standard PLA to flexible filaments like Ninjflex, the GeckoTeck will grip it right and tight.
Rigid frame
While not technically a bed upgrade, the Z-Brace is an upgrade that will help keep everything, including your build plate, square and true. To have a flat bed you have to have a square frame and this will help you achieve that.
Built in stick
Textured glass is one of the newest innovations in 3D printing build plates. The glass will give you a solid and true surface to print from, while the textures will help hold your prints tightly to the bed. You will need to run your printer at a slightly higher temperature, but this is a cheap, and easy way to get much better prints.
Any of these upgrades will help improve your prints on the Maker Select v2 or Plus. For my money, the single most important upgrade is the Y carriage by Gulfcoast Robotics. Having a solid Y plate will smooth out a lot of the issues you might see in your 3D prints and give you a solid base for more upgrades in the future.
