Building Your Own Enclosure
Essential elements of an enclosure are filter assembly box and light. It is best to place the control box on the outside of the enclosure due to its propensity for overheating. An automatic fire stop device is useful if one tends to leave their printer unattended for long periods of time.Post Pages
- Introduction, Filter Assembly Box, Filters
- Fans
- Smoke Alarm/Power Stop
- Automatic Fire Extinguishers
- Temperature Controllers
- Heaters
- Enclosure Material Options
- Alternative Filter Assemblies/Ventilation Unit
- Various DIY Enclosures
- My Enclosure
Note: Contents of this post are subject to change without notice. All links are non-affiliate. I do not receive monetary compensation from link clicks.
Filter Assembly Box
As 3D printers emit both VOCs and EFPs (see previous post), two types of filters are needed; HEPA and Carbon. The two filters and a fan comprise a filter assembly box. The assembly can be made to exhaust or recirculate air.
Per Louisana’s Energy Curriculum Guide – “The recommended minimum filter surface area is 2.50 cubic feet per minute (cfm) per square inch of filter area” for heating ventilation air conditioning (HVAC) systems. My 24″ x 24″ enclosure is 8 cubic feet. Using a calculator for fan air exchange, 9 cfm are required for a fan. I estimated I needed a 4″ x 4 ” filter.
Filters
Nilfisk HEPA Filter
Nilfisk advance small appliance vacuum cleaner parts.
100 mm L x 100 mm W x 36 mm H
€ 19.94
Zortrax HEPA & Carbon Filters
“Set of three replacement HEPA and carbon filters…” 5.1 x 5 x 3.4 inches
$39.00
Carbon Filter Bed
Model design by Sandra James. The design can be adjusted in Tinkercard.
More information about filters: HEPA Filters and ULPA Filters Information- Engineering 360; Hepa Filters; How Long Do HEPA Filters Last?; Flow Rate, Velocity, Pressure Drop Chart; technical data; Complete Guide to Activated Carbon; Carbon Depth Chart.
Fans
HEPA filters are resistant to airflow, requiring a static pressure fan.
X-Fan RDH1225S1
Max.air flow (at zero static pressure) 87.79cfm (min. 79.01cfm) 41(max 44)dB(A)
£10.33
SUNON® EEC0251B1-000U-A99
- Dimensions : 120 x 120 x 25mm
- Voltage : 12V
- Bearings : Ball
- Speed : 3100rpm
- Airflow : 108.2CFM
- Noise : 44.5dB(A))
£10.40
Gdstime DC 12V 120mm Computer Case Fan
Dimensions: 20mm×120mm×38mm | Connector: XH2.54-2Pin|Rated Voltage: DC 12V | Rated Current: 0.5Amp±10% | Rated Speed: 3000RPM±10% | Air flow: 120CFM | Noise Level:37±10%dBA
$12.32
Thermaltake Riing 12 Series High Static Pressure
- Max Airflow: 12/14 40.6/51.1CFM.
- Max Speed: 12/14 1500/1400RPM
- Connection: 3-pin.
- Noise: 12/14 24.6/28.1 dBA.
$12.99
Corsair Air Series SP 120 LED Red High Static Pressure Fan Cooling
Air flow – 57.24 CFM. Noise level – 26.4 decibels
$15.99
GDSTIME 120mm AC 110V 220V DC 12V Powered Fan
“PARAMETERS: Size: 4.72×4.72×0.98 in | Bearings: Dual Ball | Voltage: 12V | Current: 0.45 Amp | Air Flow: 114 CFM | Noise: 49 dBA | Lifespan: 50000 Hrs”
$25.99
Hydra 120mm PWM High Speed Fan
“This 12 volt DC fan gives you extremely high airflow of 185.87 CFM and extremely high pressure of 12.15 mmH2O at a maximum speed of 4200 RPM and 58.7 dBA of the noise level.”
$29.99
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Temperature Controllers
KETOTEK STC-1000 Digital Temperature Controller
- “2m Waterproof probe -Digital temperature controller 110V can be used in moisture and water environment, you can use it in home brewing, fridge, pet breeding, reptile, tank, incubation, fermentation, seedling heat mat, accelerating germination.
- On/off control mode – Turn on at one degree and turn off at another degree.
- Wire heater and cooler at the same time- This stc-1000 temperature controller has 2 Relays….wire 2 appliances (heater and cooler) at the same time. “
$16.59
Inkbird Temp Control Thermostat
- “Can control both heating and cooling output
- Has an alarm to indicate sensor failure or high temperature”
$19.99
AC Infinity Controller 2
- “Intelligent thermal fan controller with on-board processor and digital LCD display.
- Controls up to six AC Infinity Cabinet and USB Fans, see below for compatibility.
- Automated programming that self-adjusts cooling power in response to changing temperatures.
- Features an alarm system, display lock, six fan speeds, two buffer options, and power failure memory.
- Includes precision thermal probe, mounting screws, and power wall adapter”
$39.99
Smart Exhaust – Temp Control Kit
- “Smart Temperature Control
- Digital Temperature Control
- Exhaust Outlet Activated Carbon Filtration
- Flexible Temperature Probe”
$60.00
Smoke Alarm/Power Stop
Smoke Alarm for 3D Printer
“This 3Dsmoke will shutdown the 3Dprinter when the smoke sensor senses smoke or fire.”
$38.00
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Automatic Fire Extinguishers
Stovetop Firestop
$56.95
STFS Plus LC Fire Suppressor
$79.21 for pair
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Heaters
Back to Post Pages
Enclosure Material Options
Infrastructure
NavePoint 15U Wall Mount Consumer Series Server Cabinet Network
29.67″H x 21.65″W x 17.72″D
$221.92 + free shipping
Acrylic
Clear Colorless Acrylic Sheet
Dimensions: 24 in. W x 48 in. Thickness: 1/16″ (0.0060/1.5mm)
More sizes available
$28.00
Plaskolite Clear Single Acrylic Sheet 24 in. W x 48 in. L x .100 in. [2.54mm]
More sizes available
$33.99
V1 Acrylic Sheets for Prusa Lack Enclosure
“This kit includes 3 sheets cut to 440mm (17.3228”) x 440mm and 2 sheets cut to 220mm (8.66142′) x 440mm. “
$60.00
V1 Tinted Prusa IKEA Lack Plexiglass Kit
- 3 Pieces of 440mm x 440mm x 3mm thick plexiglass
- 2 Pieces of 220mm x 440mm x 3mm thick plexiglass
- Laser cut
- 10 magnets included (20mm x 6mm x 2mm)
$69.99
V2 Clear Prusa IKEA Lack Plexiglass
5 Pack (3mm) + 10 Magnets (20mm x 6mm x 2mm) for 3D Printer Enclosure | 3 Pieces of 440mm x 473mm (17.3″ x 18.6″) & 2 Pieces of 220mm x 505mm (8.65″ x 19.9″)
$64.99
V2 Acrylic Sheets for Prusa Lack Enclosure
“This kit includes 3 sheets cut to 440mm (17.3228″) x 473mm (18.622″) and 2 sheets cut to 220mm (8.66142′) x 505mm (19.8819″). The 3rd sheet of 440mm x 473mm includes 5 laser cut holes 10mm round in the same location as in the instructions to save you the chance of cracking the acrylic with a drill bit. 3mm thickness”
$65.00
Alternative Filter Assemblies/ Ventilation Unit
Fume Extractor
by HooneyPaPa. Uploaded to Thingiverse on October 12, 2021
AirManagerV2 recirculating air filter
By DanielSchweinert. Uploaded to Thingiverse on January 13, 2020
Smoke Absorver for Soldering/3D Printer enclosures and others
By sn4k3. Uploaded to Thingiverse on August 12, 2019.
Active Air Filter
By DeepSilence. Uploaded to Instructables on April 18, 2018.
HEPA Filter for 3D Printer
By jmillerfo. Uploaded to Thingiverse on June 21, 2017.
Flashforge FFC Pro Vent Kit
By ragingrivers. Uploaded to Thingiverse on August 8, 2016.
Air Purification Kit
3 Phase Air Purification: Inlet HEPA/Activated Carbon filtration for first pass removal of hazardous chemical compounds, and additional outlet Activated Carbon filtration*
$50 + free shipping
*White paper – Assessment of Makergadgets’ Adelina 3D Printer Enclosure and 3 Phase Air Purification System in Mitigating High Contamination Fumes and Particles Emitted During 3D Printing
alveoOne – Kit
“This is a printable kit for your 3D printer enclosure including all non printable parts for alveoONE or alveoONE-R + both STL files. Print and assemble your printerbox yourself: free stand or wall mounted type in your favorites colors and maetrials.”
79,99€
Various DIY Enclosures
Prusa 3D Printer Enclosure
by Giuseppe Portelli. Posted January 9, 2021. A made from scratch enclosure using MDF board and plexiglass.
Temperature Controlled Lack Enclosure
by VJocys. Posted February 8, 2019. Made using 3 Ikea Lack tables and Perspex sheets.
Perfect 3D Printer Enclosure for Prusa i3 MK3
By Schweinert. Posted November 7, 2018. A metal, wall mountable cabinet is used as an enclosure.
3D Printer Enclosure
By Dan Bemowski. Uploaded to Dan’s Bits Bytes and Ramblings on August 5, 2018. The electronics were moved into a box separate from the printer.
Two door enclosure for Anycubic i3 mega with Ikea Lack tables
By Silverlane. Uploaded to Thingiverse on June 26, 2018. This enclosure was made with a Lack table from Ikea. It has a front and right side door.
Single Sheet Melamine
By Raging Computer. Blog post dated July 3, 2017. Raging Computer wrote that he made his enclosure to control noise.
Prusa i3 MK2 Enclosure
By jmillerfo. Uploaded to Thingiverse on June 22, 2017. The enclosure has an extruded aluminum structure with plywood back panel, bottom, and top; acrylic sides and door. Jmillerfo designed a filter assembly for the enclosure (see under Alternative filters).
My Enclosure
Blog post dated April 19, 2018.
This two door enclosure is two years old. I am pleased with practically all of the design decisions I made. One error I made was in designing the filter assembly. It was not until my recent round of research that I learned the carbon filter should be changed often and easily accessible compartments are needed for both filters.
I did not know until recently that the HEPA filter I used was unacceptable. Not because it was not a good HEPA filter, but because I ripped it while trying to remove it from its case, where it should have remained. I know now that the filter must remain potted in its case to be effective.
One other change needed for the enclosure was insulation around the doors. I will be using rubber window seal to correct this.
Enclosure Update, July 2020
For this update, I sealed opening edges with window seal; changed the door handle; removed the hooks and latches; added magnetic door closure; and created another filter assembly. The filter assembly is explained in another post. I will be making another filter assembly sometime in the future.
The magnetic closure was made using angle irons and repurposed magnets from alarms I purchased from the dollar store. Here is a link to the print file for the magnet holder. I stopped the print to place the magnet before reaching the top cover. The magnet was not a tight fit in the cavity, but it holds well for door closure.
desktopam.com 