Running i3 MK2s in a non-climate controlled space?
(disclaimer: I'm new to this if it's not obvious by asking this)
Got my MK2s kit in yesterday's mail and did a 6 hour assembly build. Overall, build went great with some minor frustrations with anchoring M3 nuts in place (where others were having similar issues according to the instructions).
I started running calibration and was a bit surprised by how loud the steppers are (it does remind me of old scanners/printers!) and unfortunately my office (where the printer is) is adjacent to my 3 year old's bedroom. XYZ Calibration was running great up until point 8 where the noise woke him up, which displeased my wife. 🙂
So, rather than be constrained to printing during the day while he's awake, I'm considering alternative locations. One of them is setting it up in my garage, which isn't climate controlled. I know I've seen people building enclosures for ABS and what-not, but I'm curious whether running from the garage is a good idea or not. We're in the Pacific Northwest, so garage temperatures are typically in the 50s or 60s.
Appreciate any advice or suggestions from the crowd.
Re: Running i3 MK2s in a non-climate controlled space?
humidity is a big issue it has a big effect on print quality and layer bonding.
temperature you can deal with in making an enclosure cheaply to hold the heat in and you can insulate with foam to increase the heat retained.
i'm running a large dehumidifier in my basement barely holding 45-50%, the basement has some heating and cooling so the temperature stays 65-75 degrees year round. I would of preferred to have it in a much more controlled environment. however the noise/smells and the space needed really didn't lend itself it anywhere else. originally i was going to put it in my office building but there i would not be able to play with it at all as i would be 'working'. i thought about my garage but the environment of it is worse then my basement since i get water in there and there is no heating or cooling and i could only control the humidity a little bit compared to the basement.
i tossed around the idea of my kitchen also using the large granite countertops as a base however it would take up too much space and interfere with cabinets and food prep.
an option i did not think about at the time was building a piece of furniture to house it in a nice compact way like this:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1843235
but then i need to move stuff around that i don't have room for although it would of solved some of my concerns.
with the garage if it is reasonably weather tight then i would at least run a de-humidifier and get it as low as possible. Store the filament inside the house in a more controlled environment and you will need to dry the filament before use to get as much water out as possible.
“One does not simply use a picture as signature on Prusa forumsâ€
Re: Running i3 MK2s in a non-climate controlled space?
For the noise, I would first try to run the printer in silent mode and see if the noise drop is enough. Another option is to build an enclosure, not for heat retention, but for sound damping. The surface that you are printing on can make the printer louder that normal. Some people have added a paver stone and rubber pads under their printer for vibration and noise dampening.
Re: Running i3 MK2s in a non-climate controlled space?
For the noise, I would first try to run the printer in silent mode and see if the noise drop is enough. Another option is to build an enclosure, not for heat retention, but for sound damping. The surface that you are printing on can make the printer louder that normal. Some people have added a paver stone and rubber pads under their printer for vibration and noise dampening.
Thanks. I had seen the paver stone+feet updates but didn't think it would be that helpful... but I found silent mode and _wow_ what a difference.
What's the downside to running in silent mode? Is it harder on the mechanics? It doesn't seem to slow anything down but it is astonishingly quieter.
Re: Running i3 MK2s in a non-climate controlled space?
For the noise, I would first try to run the printer in silent mode and see if the noise drop is enough. Another option is to build an enclosure, not for heat retention, but for sound damping. The surface that you are printing on can make the printer louder that normal. Some people have added a paver stone and rubber pads under their printer for vibration and noise dampening.
Thanks. I had seen the paver stone+feet updates but didn't think it would be that helpful... but I found silent mode and _wow_ what a difference.
What's the downside to running in silent mode? Is it harder on the mechanics? It doesn't seem to slow anything down but it is astonishingly quieter.
It runs at a lower speed and lower acceleration. Silent mode can also cause very complex models to fail to print that will work in high speed mode.
Re: Running i3 MK2s in a non-climate controlled space?
It runs at a lower speed and lower acceleration
No not true. Silent mode simply reduces motor power, making the motors run quieter. It has no effect on print speeds or acceleration.
If your printer will work fine in quiet mode, there's no reason not to use it.
Peter
Please note: I do not have any affiliation with Prusa Research. Any advices given are offered in good faith. It is your responsibility to ensure that by following my advice you do not suffer or cause injury, damage…
Re: Running i3 MK2s in a non-climate controlled space?
It runs at a lower speed and lower acceleration
No not true. Silent mode simply reduces motor power, making the motors run quieter. It has no effect on print speeds or acceleration.
If your printer will work fine in quiet mode, there's no reason not to use it.
Peter
What I meant to say that it lowers the max speed and acceleration of the motors, but I could be wrong on that too.
I have heard that you should run your calibration at high power mode thought.
Re: Running i3 MK2s in a non-climate controlled space?
Thanks. I had seen the paver stone+feet updates but didn't think it would be that helpful... but I found silent mode and _wow_ what a difference.
So I installed a spare piece of granite slab. While I'd heard everyone say this is useful, I discounted it a little bit. Well, I'm hear to eat crow. I'm now running in high power mode and can't hear the printer in any adjacent rooms, so it'll get to continue to live in my office which makes me happy. 🙂
If others stumble across this - I'll say it outright: go buy a heavy piece of rock and put it under your printer. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. Big rock under printer; do it now.