ormerod surrounding temperature

Hi!
I currently print in a small flat with big windows meaning the temperature fluctuates A LOT.
I will be hoping to build an enclosure to reduce sound..

Would it be worth keeping a regulated temperature within the enclosure??
If so what would be the best sort of temperatures for both ABS and PLA?

I ask as I have literally NO idea. I don't even know whether hot or cold is best...

many thanks for any help...

Fluctuating or cold ambient temperatures cause large ABS prints to warp or delaminate in my experience. The adverts I have seen for enclosed printers claim that keeping the ambient inside the enclosure at a constant temperature prevents warping of ABS, which could just be marketing hype but it certainly sounds plausible to me. The bed will heat up the inside of a fully enclosed printer to a pretty high temperature unless you do something about it, so I should think you will have to provide some means of keeping it cool, and might just as well make it temperature controlled whilst you're at it. Make sure however that whatever cooling method you use does not cause a draught across the print, otherwise I expect it will make warping worse instead of better.

As for what temperature to keep it - I'd try something no more than 30 degrees. Any warmer and the Duet might not survive - though I suppose you could mount that outside the enclosure. There is a G code command listed (M141) to set the enclosure temperature (though it won't be implemented on the Duet), which implies that it is a variable that should be set to suit the print & material.

Dave
(#106)

As Dave said, you shouldn't let the temperature get too high. As a brand new user that hadn't read ALL the instructions I tried to print ABS and battled. I read that the bed can get to higher temperatures in a box, so I put the printer in the box and set it going!
I'm pretty sure you see where this is heading - the final result was that I softened most of the PLA parts and bearings started slipping and rattling, the head started drooping and other exciting problems! (doh!)

all great advice!!! Thank you.
I was thinking of using one of these to regulate teh temperature;
[www.amazon.co.uk]

i was thinking of jsut hoooking that up to a fan at the top to help extract heat??


I think I'll attempt to print the ABS spre parts before any enclosure is added.... good advice..

Quote
88Zombies
all great advice!!! Thank you.
I was thinking of using one of these to regulate teh temperature;
[www.amazon.co.uk]

i was thinking of jsut hoooking that up to a fan at the top to help extract heat??


I think I'll attempt to print the ABS spre parts before any enclosure is added.... good advice..

Yes, I should think an extraction fan would be the way to go to keep the heat down - but be aware of how the air is going to get into the enclosure as it is extracted. If the incoming air results in a cold draught over the print, it could cause it to warp, so position the ventilation holes in your enclosure with care.

Dave
(#106)

Quote
VortyZA
As Dave said, you shouldn't let the temperature get too high. As a brand new user that hadn't read ALL the instructions I tried to print ABS and battled. I read that the bed can get to higher temperatures in a box, so I put the printer in the box and set it going!
I'm pretty sure you see where this is heading - the final result was that I softened most of the PLA parts and bearings started slipping and rattling, the head started drooping and other exciting problems! (doh!)

LOL! - I play it safe with open box, secured X carriage, and visual contact through the print..



...and printed the most important parts first, notice the parts is lifting a bit..



..so had to mill the nozzle mount flat, the parts was printed solid and ABS mills OK (with sharp tools that is)



Erik

I have felt the heat at the back of the bed being a a lot different to the front.
This is due to the fan creating a convection against the DUET enclosure. The potential difference between the front and the back of the heat bed makes ABS warp all the time at the back...which tells me the potential is big enough to cause this.

No cover is going to solve this problem as you can literally feel the cold wind blowing there and I would say there is a 10-15C difference between the front and the back

I am trying different things to see if I can minimise the potential difference, ie printing more towards the front, creating a fan duct to completely blow air away and nothing towards the back

If I find a solution I will post it with parts...

If you can keep the Duet away from the warm temperature and replace the PLA with ABS then using a box is a very simple solution. I used that on the first mendel90 I had before going to a snazzier enclosure made of corrugated polycarbonate from B&Q. Now the Lasercut Mendel90s come with acrylic enclosures which look nice but as far as keeping the heat in work no better than the original cardboard box! I have found that there is no need to regulate the temperature as the box leaks enough heat for the temperature to stabilise around 45-50C with the heatbed at 120C. Thats great for ABS (but will probably shorten the life of bearings and motors)

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