Plastic enclosure stand

Customized simple enclosure I used when printing ABS on the anycubic i3 mega. The enclosure is a plastic sheet with a printed ABS stand clamping on top of the anycubic i3 mega upper frame.

The enclosure also successfully prevented dusts from falling on the printer, I do not have to clean the printer often for it remains clean with the enclosure. Unlike most enclosures, this one is using ordinary materials, can be replaced with better materials if you wish but this is what I can find. It is important in making an enclosure not to include the electronics (which requires cooling) inside the enclosed area where temperature can rise up. On this setup, temperature of the enclosed air stabilized at 40C on the upper frame level.

The important factor it provides is minimal air movement or minimal temperature fluctuations while printing ABS which helps prevent warping. In the area where the printer was installed, there are unavoidable human traffic which can greatly disturb any printing sessions. The plastic sheets can also be rolled up easily when needed and I can raise it in small movement to check the printing process that won't even disturb the majority of the build area like when opening a big enclosure door in front of the printer. Spools are placed in front for easy access using TUSH (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2047554) with one leg glued on the ceramic tile flooring for stability. I also glued the TUSH plastic in the middle together for them not to separate. Power switches can be access on the back side of the printer easily.

The area covered must not include the lower part of the anycubic i3 mega which should be kept cool all the time. I use a TMC2208 driver for all the motors so the printer is much cooler than with the original drivers. Recently I also added heat sinks on the back of the X, Y and extruder motors which help a lot in cooling the motors.

The stl files where printed using ABS at 0.2 layer height with no necessary support. 6 lines of brim can help. PLA is not recommended for this setup, I've tried it before with a different design and PLA deformed over time.

Regarding melted plastic fumes, proper ventilation during printing is required, that is air going out of the room in one direction and fresh air coming in from another source like an open window is required. The current setup does not spread any fumes around the area, only the air will warm up since the printer have heaters so care must be taken to keep the environment cool or comfortable. Never leave the printer printing for hours without anyone monitoring or can respond with any form of emergency situation. Plastics used in the printer including the filament are all flammable.

Another important factor in making an enclosure specially with ABS is that the spool of filament must be within the enclosed area to keep it warm most of the time, keeping it dry and in good condition. People use separate driers with heaters where we already have a heater which is the printer itself. Make use of the heat to keep the filament dry. When not printing for a long time, remove the filament and placed them in closed plastic bag with silica. I do have a customized filament drier used to recondition a moisture contaminated filament but it is for that purpose only. The position where I placed the spool is a warmer area where warm air from the board fan exits. I should have put the spool on the upper area with a spool holder but results from testing shown it affects print quality when the spool holder is attached on the printer frame.

I hope this can be useful to you as it is with me.

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