I usually level the bed manually by using the repetier host to move the hot extruder to (30,30,0), (235,30,0) and (135,200,0) positions, turning the thumb screws to just touch the hot bed. The only other leveling Ive done is with the XYZware and hated how long it took to run through the test. I use an -0.05mm z offset in slic3er. The three glass plates I purchased from McMaster were very close in thickness so they could be swapped without re-level. Sometimes I need to lower one point by 5-10 deg when the print starts.
I decided not to flip the heat pad because the leads were offset from the center and would have require removing some of the bed frame. I removed the Da Vinci leveling metallic strips and simply placed the new glass on top of the cracked glass. I did place some fiberglass insulation under the floating bed because I thought there would be some power issues. I'm running now and the bed heater its averaging around 25% power at 95 degrees C.
The Bottleworks design is cool but seems a little expensive. I used four printed parts that I will see about posting on thingaverse, four compression springs from a home depot assortment (4$), 1/4" Aluminum rod HD (6$), Loctite plastic epoxy HD (5$), and the 1/4"x9"x9" borosilicate glass was 25$ from McMaster-Carr.
The design is simple. It just two angled surfaces that hold the plate down and stop it from sliding. The front piece is hinged so that it can easily be removed and also hold different plate thicknesses. The hardest part of its assembly was epoxying the parts on the Da Vinci bed. I used the new glass to align the back piece while it cured then with a smaller flat piece for the front. The aluminum pin and springs just slide in.
The swappabilty really saves time. Still have to wait for the new glass to warm up but it isn't much longer than the stock bed.
I made a video of me switching the plates but cant figure out how to post the url. Search youtube for "Swappable Glass on 3d Printer Bed".
