Let's start - Part2

Something is still missing

Well, the printer was build and printing fine, but one important thing was still missing. Even if the printer is silent, it’s still a printer and it’s more quiet in the enclosure. Second for ABS an enclosure is highly recommended, I would call it mandatory.

So the search began again, this time for an inexpensive enclosure.

Multiple options

The community is very creative and I’m not the first one with this need. The options starts from putting a simple transport box over the printer during the printing to a full metal/acrylic cabinet. I like the idea to take IKEA LACK table and build something which fits best for you.

So I took some parts from this great work by LKM but did it slightly different. Transparent acrylic walls costs a little bit more then a regular plastic sheet. I walked to my favorite home depot and found one for 1/4 a price. The front door is held by hinges and magnets and everything else is applied with Silicone. This is how it looked after initial assembly:

Small adjustments

Some features were important for me. It should be possible to variable vent the enclosure and route the “bad air” outside the room. There is no space inside the box for the filament roll, so it need to be placed outside. And there are a little more. Let’s have a closer look:

1. Ventilation

This rotating adjustable vent was exactly what I was looking for:

Temperature regulated Fan in the back of case. 120mm, 12V, Super silent. The temperature control is self build. Maybe I will publish more details later on:

2. Monitoring

At the top I’ve placed an IP Camera to watch it working from everywhere:

3. Damping

If you are using the printer at home like me, it’s very important to dampen it. Otherwise the neighbors will complain at some point. For me this Vibration Damper did a good job so far:

4. Lights

On the top part I placed some led strips for nice ambient light. It’s also sufficient to see if there is something wrong going on during the print.

5. Spool Holder

I like the idea that each spool roll is ready to go. I store them in a air sealed box. That’s why this project is my favorite.
For the print I take a roll out, place it at the top, feed in the extruder and it’s ready to go.

And this is how my initial version looked like:

Right now it’s in another corner and have an Octopi and some parts replaced. But it’s another story and this is how it started …