Closed chamber for Prusa i3

I have a very common problem - my ABS prints are curling, mostly at the bottom. The bed is perfectly level and runs at ~100C.

I decided to try building some form of closed chamber for my printer. The real question is - will this damage the stepper motors?

With the current Prusa i3, it's going to be difficult to have the motors outside the chamber.
Also, what about the electronics?

I can probably control the temperature with a simple Arduino, hooked to a thermometer and a fan.

Any recommendation / suggestions?

Thanks.

Build an enclosure around the machine, move the electronics outside the enclosure, the motors are OK inside, check enclosure temp by heating up the bed for an hour then read the extruder temperature. If it is under 45C, it isn't warm enough and ABS will still delaminate- you'll either have to add heat or insulate the walls. I built an enclosure from foam insulation board- I used PIR because it is fire retardant. You can literally build the enclosure from foam sheet in about 20 minutes- just measure and cut with a razor knife, then duct tape the panels together. See: [www.thingiverse.com]

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Son of MegaMax 3D printer: [www.instructables.com]
Ultra MegaMax Dominator 3D printer: [drmrehorst.blogspot.com]

Hi guys,

I builded an entire cabinet for my Prusa I3.
I've got an external compartiment for both electronics and PSU.
I kept the spools inside at the start, but it realy does not matter if your room is dry.
Motors don't overheat until the output voltage of the drivers is set properly.

My opinion about the heat chamber.
I fixed the printer on drawer slides, but the access to the printer is still difficult.
Frankly speaking, that cabinet is boring. From regular maintenance to simple cleaning.
Actualy, door open, I don't have much wrapping since I use a buildtak plate.
New thermoplastics like PETG have comparable properties as ABS,
without wrapping problems and toxic smell.

Would I build a heat chamber knowing this today ? Obviously no.

++JM

The bed surface material only affects attachment to the bed. When you print ABS a few cm high it starts to delaminate without a warm chamber, regardless of the bed surface material.

Here's an example- the pink object was printed without an enclosure to keep the print warm, and the blue object was printed inside an enclosure at about 45C:



My printer, linked in my sig, below, was designed to be enclosed and accessed easily. I am now using magnetic strips to hold the 1/8" polycarbonate side panels on my machine so access is extremely easy.

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Son of MegaMax 3D printer: [www.instructables.com]
Ultra MegaMax Dominator 3D printer: [drmrehorst.blogspot.com]