Does Prusa Enclosure Allow for Printing ABS?
Does the Prusa Enclosure, as sold, allow for printing ABS?
Specifically as I research ABS printing I see a lot about Ventilation, Smell, Toxic Gases etc.
To me, the ventilation specification would mean exhausting the air from the printing chamber, elsewhere.
The Prusa Enclosure has a filter, but not necessarily Ventilation, it is just an Enclosure.
So then back to my question, with the Enclosure as is, does its filtering do enough to allow for printing ABS? Or do I need to research Ventilation (moving the air elsewhere) for ABS printing?
RE:
What you have to keep in mind is that you really don't want to pump a lot of cool air into your enclosure (none at all in the best case actually). If you have an enclosure which is reasonably airtight, just close it and open a window. On top of that one can have a refillable air circulation VOC filter inside the enclosure.
The best solution which I built for my Voron is a super low flow rate venting to the outside. My Voron's enclosure is fairly tight but to create just a very mild negative pressure, I have a small radial fan pulling through a 10 mm ID tube air from the enclosure (my Voron is tiny, for a Prusa one would propbably need to upscale a bit). That way fumes are not noticeable at all at any point. (I do have also a recirculating internal VOC filter with refillable active carbon casette and 5 kg bag of air filtration active carbon for regular replacement of active carbon. That filter is just a plus I would say however).
If are looking for such a recirculating VOC filter as second line of defense, just google for "Nevermore filter". This is one of the few filters for hobbyist machines which is not entirely useless for the job of removing VOCs.
Regarding printing ABS. I think printing ABS+ works fine in an enclosure. For printing straight ABS however temperatures inside the enclosure might not be high enough to prevent substantial warping on larger parts (printing smaller parts should work fine though). ASA warps less in my experience than ABS.
Mk3s MMU2s, Voron 0.1, Voron 2.4
RE: Does Prusa Enclosure Allow for Printing ABS?
PS: To get back specifically to the Prusa Enclosure. I just know it from pictures and it does feature some mounting holes etc from what I could see. I would close all those holes which can be reasonably easily closed. If you want to print PLA you still can just leave the enclosure doors open. For ABS, PETG, the tighter your enclosure is, the better. Also for low flow rate venting or internal recirculation VOC filtration this is the case: the tighter the better.
Mk3s MMU2s, Voron 0.1, Voron 2.4
RE: Does Prusa Enclosure Allow for Printing ABS?
why would you need an enclosure for PETG? have been printing PETG for over 2 years now and never had an enclosure
RE:
You don't strictly need an enclosure for PETG, but it does help. You can see airdrafts on the surface finish and I would not be surprised if there are slight differences in layer adhesion too, even though with PETG layer adhesion is more than sufficient in most cases under any circumstances anyway. Also while warping isn't such a big deal with PETG I would also assume it is even less so with an enclosure.
Also, with an enclosure you can keep most of the fumes in even without ventillation system and save energy on heating.
Mk3s MMU2s, Voron 0.1, Voron 2.4
RE: Does Prusa Enclosure Allow for Printing ABS?
Since I added the enclosure to the I3 (3d Upfitters) I notice far less of the ABS odor when doing ABS prints. This one has a fan and simple filter, not that much airflow, and I have it set up to run only when a certain internal temperature is reached.
The benefit to the quality of the ABS prints, however, is obvious when using the enclosure. Reasonably consistent temperature and lack of turbulent airflow.
Even before the enclosure, I had fairly good success doing ABS (and PC Blend) prints by using the draft shield option.
RE: Does Prusa Enclosure Allow for Printing ABS?
Thank you everyone.
So it does sound like then, the Prusa Enclosure alone would allow/enable/empower me to print ABS when compared to a non enclosure MK3S+.
From the comments above it does not sound like I need to ventilate the enclosure (when printing ABS) elsewhere, or bring in fresh air or anything like that, the air can just.... exist there in the enclosure and that is safe enough?
RE: Does Prusa Enclosure Allow for Printing ABS?
ASA warps less in my experience than ABS.
Once I did my first ASA prints, that was it. Tossed all my ABS spools. It's a lot more forgiving.
RE: Does Prusa Enclosure Allow for Printing ABS?
Thank you everyone.
So it does sound like then, the Prusa Enclosure alone would allow/enable/empower me to print ABS when compared to a non enclosure MK3S+.
From the comments above it does not sound like I need to ventilate the enclosure (when printing ABS) elsewhere, or bring in fresh air or anything like that, the air can just.... exist there in the enclosure and that is safe enough?
From my experience no, I printed ABS once in my prusa enclosure without any type of filtration and the smell filled my house's first floor. I plugged up all the empty spaces on my enclosure as well. The odor has to go somewhere even after printing is complete, I would not recommend doing it without filtration or exhaust to an exterior location.
RE: Does Prusa Enclosure Allow for Printing ABS?
I print ABS occasionally, no enclosure, just printer set up on the kitchen island. Turn on the range hood fan and you hardly notice any smell at all.
RE:
I recently bought these mini air purifiers (ELEGOO Mini Purifier with Activated Carbon Filter and Universal Adaptor for LCD,DLP,MSLA Resin 3D Printer（Pack of 2) https://a.co/aTU29xC ). Honestly, I wasn't expecting much, but these babies are doing an impressive job with ASA vapors.
RE:
Never tried ABS but recently I started printing ASA in my Lack enclosure, Zero warping problems with the satin sheet. I use a bit of 3Dlac but probably it wouldn't be necessary. There's smell but not much more than with other filaments. It's just a different kind of smell, not exactly pleasant but 'bearable'. When the job is finished I leave it to cool down for a few minutes until the temp. of the bed goes below 40C. Then I open the doors and the smell has gone almost completely. I realize it would be better to have some sort of filtration but the Lack enclosure isn't exactly hermetic, so part of the fumes/particles would escape the enclosure bypassing the filters.
RE: Does Prusa Enclosure Allow for Printing ABS?
The ELEGOO and AnyCubic air filters do work and are a cheap option to removing smells. One advantage to the AnyCubic is they have USB C, but the ELEGOO come with an extra filter.
Does the Prusa Enclosure, as sold, allow for printing ABS?
Specifically as I research ABS printing I see a lot about Ventilation, Smell, Toxic Gases etc.
To me, the ventilation specification would mean exhausting the air from the printing chamber, elsewhere.
The Prusa Enclosure has a filter, but not necessarily Ventilation, it is just an Enclosure.
So then back to my question, with the Enclosure as is, does its filtering do enough to allow for printing ABS? Or do I need to research Ventilation (moving the air elsewhere) for ABS printing?
I recently bought these mini air purifiers (ELEGOO Mini Purifier with Activated Carbon Filter and Universal Adaptor for LCD,DLP,MSLA Resin 3D Printer（Pack of 2) https://a.co/aTU29xC ). Honestly, I wasn't expecting much, but these babies are doing an impressive job with ASA vapors.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE:
I've got an Elegoo Saturn 2 and it comes with a taller version of that air filter. To this day I haven't found a replacement active carbon cartridge sold as a replacement, which renders the thing rather useless after a short while. But even if they'd sell it, the power of that thing is modest to say it nicely and it is designed for a much smaller volume than any Mk3s enclosure.
If you want to do something about VOCs and venting out of the room is not an option, go for a Nevermore. This is a DIY machine but you do have a printer so the rest is relatively easy to do. What sets it apart from all those commercial options is that it is not superheavy duty like industrial airpurifiers for laser cutters etc (and those are really loud) but it also comes with a refillable active carbon casette and serious air circulation power, while staying compact.
See the github page with all files and detailed instructions
https://github.com/nevermore3d/Nevermore_Micro
They do sell their own active carbon pellets at quite some premium, but given what others charge for replacement filters actually not that bad. If you buy active carbon directly from dedicated shops you can get it much cheaper though. If you do you have to make sure to purchase active carbon for air purification (NOT for aquariums and such). Ideally use active carbon made from virgin coconuts. To make most of your air filter replace the active carbon frequently and store the stock material airtight.
Mk3s MMU2s, Voron 0.1, Voron 2.4
RE:
I purchased my active carbon here:
https://www.luftundklima24.de/Aktivkohle-Pellets-Geruchsfilter-4-mm-5-kg-Luftfilter
Here you can buy the Nevermore active carbon which is certainly superior but probably not as much more superior than what it costs more. It is a safe bet however and you can source it both in the EU and the US:
https://vonwange.com/product/nevermore-printer-carbon/
Mk3s MMU2s, Voron 0.1, Voron 2.4