Enclosure question  

RE: Enclosure question

Enclosures keep the heat inside, but PLA doesn't need that and in fact works worse at higher temperatures. You'll have to leave the door (or with a mod the top) open or install a fan.

But the reduction in noise from the Prusa enclosure is very small even with the doors closed, so if that's really the only reason for you to get it, you might want to reconsider.

RE: Enclosure question

The heat in the enclosure has never been a problem for me. I keep it in my living space though, where temperature is controlled. I wonder if I kept it in a hot garage if that would cause issues like that... but in a living space with normal temps, it's perfectly fine. And the noise reduction is very nice, especially after printing some TPU feet to prevent some of the vibrations from getting transferred into the cabinets below my enclosure.

RE: Enclosure question

Often the issue is heat creep, as the 'cold end' fan draws in warm air from the enclosure it has reduced cooling effect  and over time the COLD end of the extruder(Above the Heat Break) becomes warm, and un able to keep the filament cool so you get blockages.

Even RAISE3d, who make professional printers advise to leave the enclosure open to reduce Heat Creep when printing with PLA, 

regards Joan 

RE:

Great explanation about "heat-creep" (thank you Joan). 

Suggestion to solve the issue with PLA in an enclosure.: 
- I have my printer on the attic of my house, so very cold in winter, hot in summer, and loud (because just above the bedroom). 
- The printer is in an enclosure, door firmly closed (so less noise). printer is on squash balls + concrete slab (10 kg or so), -> even less noise
- to prevent the "MINTEMP ERROR" in winter, there is a PTC-heater in the enclosure, with triple thermostats: one (W1209)  to bring the temp up to 20 degrees Celcius + two thermostats to shut it off, when something goes wrong (I don't want my the house on fire:-) ) 
- and a fan in the back with a thermostat (W1209) set to 28 degrees Celcius). Keeping the temperature very steady. 
So I am good unless the roomtemperature goes above 25 degrees or more. (Then I have to open windows, open the door of enclosure). 
Works very nicely with PLA, and for other material it is easy to set the thermostat of the fan to something higher. The printer produces enough heat to get it up to 40 degrees or more. 

RE: Enclosure question

I have the enclosure, using PLA, and my prints have been flawless so far ... nothing too fancy, but flawless nonetheless. (inside temps near 30)  If that helps.

RE: Enclosure question

That is good news Praefectus, may the good fortunes shine on your future projects. 

However I suggest that you tuck my comments away in the dark corners of your mind, so that if one day a project fails for no apparent reason, you can recall that temperature is  a possible issue. 

regards Joan

RE: Enclosure question

This is weird, but printing PLA with the doors closed has never caused clogs for me.  But with PETG it has twice (I think)!  I wonder if the lower bed & nozzle temps for PLA lowers the enclosure temp enough to allow the hot end fan to keep up...

RE: Enclosure question

I am getting near perfect prints in PETG, EXCEPT for these marks on the 2 things I've printed so far.  I'm using Prusament PETG so using the stock settings for it ... check it:

RE: Enclosure question

I am planning to build an enclosure. I purchased a small server rack, same size the enclosure, but I have not yet assembled all together with the printer.

My main goal is not to have a heat chamber for sensitive materials like ABS, but be able to finally print in my living room without fumes. The box will be connected with a tube to a hole in the window, and all the air will go out through a fan. The box will be always in low pressure mode, so that air can only enter from the room to the box and never from the box to the room. I plan to calculate the power and purchase an air extractor that should be just enough to maintain low pressure inside. I don't want to have a Dyson like vortex that do the noise of a vacuum cleaner, since I live in the room, and so it should be silent.
So,I don't see issues with PLA, because there is always fresh room air pushed into the box and the hot air is expelled from the window.

I would like to print also ABS or PC, but I have to plan a way to seal the box and keep the pressure to the bare minimum, so that heat can not exit too quickly but fumes must not go in the room.

Regards

RE: Enclosure question

You could build a recirculating hepa filter, similar to the one Prusa offer for their enclosure. You could even use the same fan with a gate to either extract or recirculate through the filter. There are designs on Printables to do something like that for the Prusa enclosure which you could adapt, or you could design and print your own.

RE: Enclosure question

(@jp-guitars) yes, exactly. I am thinking to one of those solutions. 😀 

RE: Enclosure question

I have to plan a way to seal the box and keep the pressure to the bare minimum, so that heat can not exit too quickly but fumes must not go in the room.

That is about my approach. With these rules: 
1. If you do not want noise, fume, heat, air or whatever coming out of the enclosure: Make it as isolated as possible 🙂 
2. If you succeed to follow rule 1, the enclosure will probably get too hot after a while (you keep pushing heat in an isolated box)
To get that out, at the right moment: Put a thermistor switched fan in the enclosure, what pushes the air to outside of your house, using a tube. Hang it far outside the window, so the dirty hot air will not come back in. 
3. If you succeed to follow rule 2, you will get a vacuum unless you have a valve what opens when the fan starts working. 
Take care when the valve opens, the cold air is spread nicely into the enclosure, and you do not have a big opening (noise will come out). 
4. If you succeed to follow rule 3, there will come a moment that you want to open the enclosure, to put something in, or take something out. 
So have a switch at the door, (manually or triggered by the door) what triggers the fan, as soon the door is opened. Full 100% pushing all air out. So the dirty air does not come into your room. 
5. By now, you have a isolated box, so you do not see and hear what is happening inside. But you want to follow what is happening in there. Even during the family dinner in the same room ;-). So you will have a camera installed and octoprint on your phone, to know what is happening there. 

Have fun, with printing and family affairs 😉