how to clean enclosure plexiglass without scratching it  

RE:

I don't think there is a way to keep these acrylic panels completely scratch free. The Prusa panels appear to have no scratch-resistant coating and seem to be not as tough as some of the acrylics I'm used to. It is particularly prone to very fine scratches, even when taking extra precautions.

I use microfibre cloths, nothing else, little and often to keep the panels clean of hand marks and filament residue. In my case, there seems to be something produced by PETG that makes the inside of the panels slightly cloudy. But, this could also be volatiles released by the grease and lubricants I use in my maintenance of my printers.

Keep the cloths in an old resealable filament bag when you're not using them. Never wipe the panels with kitchen wipes or similar, because that is definitely going to cause micro-scratches on the grade of acrylic that Prusa uses in its enclosure.

I also use a powerful handheld, 15000mAh Portable Compressed Air Blower 2 in 1 Air Duster & Vacuum Cleaner Cordless Duster Blower, to keep the printers and enclosures dust free. You can get these from the major UK/US/Chinese online retailers. I exclusively use this for cleaning my Prusa FDM and resin printers, and no other areas, as tiny bits of grit off carpets etc, can get into the brush that could scratch the acrylic.

RE: how to clean enclosure plexiglass without scratching it

Cleaning plexiglass or acrylic is best done with dish soap and warm water and a soft microfiber cloth.

Rinse the cloth often while cleaning.

Then let dry by air.

Do not dry it with a cloth, as this makes it static and attracts dust.

After cleaning, you can treat the plexiglass or acrylic with a special anti-static agent if you want.

RE: how to clean enclosure plexiglass without scratching it

thanks for the replies.  This advice is consistent to what I have read.  i wish the panels had a protective coating.

Even better, I would like to replace them with real glass 🙂

RE: how to clean enclosure plexiglass without scratching it

You could buy cast acrylic sheets with a scratch resistant coating from China. They don't appear to be that expensive, and you could probably have them cut to Prusa's designs, drawings of which are on their Github. They're open-source, so I don't see how Prusa would be too upset. Even the cutting costs might not be too prohibitive.

https://github.com/prusa3d/Original-Prusa-Enclosure/tree/main/Panels

RE: how to clean enclosure plexiglass without scratching it

I use Plexus - motorcycle shops have it - used for cleaning visors

RE: how to clean enclosure plexiglass without scratching it

I haven't heard of Plexus plastic cleaner. I think motorcycle visors will already have a protective coating, and/or are a better grade of acrylic with a coating than Prusa's unprotected acrylic they use for their panels. So, whereas the Plexus cleaner makes an already scratch resistant visor look even better after polishing, you won't get the same results with an acrylic panel that is already very prone to scuffing.

I was super careful trying to prevent any scratches during the installation of my panels. I removed the plastic protective sheet covering the acrylic panels at the last possible moment during the installation of my enclosure, and they have never been wiped with anything other than clean microfiber cloths, and they still got scuffed in day to day use.

You have to learn to live with it or replace the panels with something better. A lot of these polishing compounds, or special cleaners, either cost too much for repeated applications, or the fine abrasive types require too much effort to polish out the micro-scratches for such a large area.

I'm not saying the panels supplied by Prusa are bad, but the enclosure is built to a price. Trying to polish a soft turd material, still leaves you with a soft turd at the end of the day!

I'm looking into hard coating sprays, but I think a manufacturer applied coating would still be the best optically clear method for making acrylic scratch-resistant panels.

RE: how to clean enclosure plexiglass without scratching it

Motor cycle visors are normally Polycarbonate to reduce the chances of the visor shattering. 

BUT They are susceptible to solvent damage... 

Petrol being the most common problem. 

normal Paint can also denature polycarbonate...   (there are special polycarbonate paints)

polycarbonate side panels are an expensive option for enclosures... BUT Be careful with IPA and hairspray etc. 

regards Joan

RE: how to clean enclosure plexiglass without scratching it

Of course visors are made of polycarbonate, duh, my bad! I thought the panels were made of polycarbonate at first because they were so flexible.

Prusa uses PETG sheet for their panels, I see. It never even crossed my mind that they used PETG. Their choice of material must be a tradeoff between robustness, safety, UV resistance, solvent resistance, scratch-resistance and cost.

It depends on your personal material property preferences which material you could use. Prusa chose PETG. The more I dive down the rabbit hole of materials, the more I emphasize with Prusa's difficult choice. For me, scratch and solvent resistance are my priority. I hide away my acetone from myself, because of the number of times I've mistakenly wiped something down and left an acetone mark.

RE: how to clean enclosure plexiglass without scratching it

Thank you!  Where in China can I order those?

Posted by: @meggsc

You could buy cast acrylic sheets with a scratch resistant coating from China. They don't appear to be that expensive, and you could probably have them cut to Prusa's designs, drawings of which are on their Github. They're open-source, so I don't see how Prusa would be too upset. Even the cutting costs might not be too prohibitive.

https://github.com/prusa3d/Original-Prusa-Enclosure/tree/main/Panels

RE: how to clean enclosure plexiglass without scratching it

The comment about motorcycle shops was supposed to help you locate the product. But ended up talking about motorcycle visors

Plexus is a plastic cleaner for all types of plastic

This is what the manufacturer says

Plastic takes many forms. From the resin found in fiberglass and carbon fiber to Formica, acrylic, and Plexiglas, they're all made from plastic. So are window tint films and the lenses in sunglasses. It exists in places most of us don't realize: some glass is coated with plastic. Many metals are clear plastic-coated and even many kinds of wood have a clear, protective plastic coating.

Since new plastic is most vulnerable to contaminants and damage, using Plexus® early on can help in the long-term protection and maintenance of plastic. Plexus® gives you a cleaner, more lustrous finish than ordinary cleaners. Plexus® leaves no smears and no smudges. Instead, the finish it leaves is shiny, brilliant, and clear like no other. Plexus® makes colored plastics vibrant, makes clear plastic virtually transparent, and leaves plastic surfaces gleaming like new.

 Anyway in my case it works

RE:

No doubt it's a pretty good product for cleaning most plastics, but how does it remove/diminish micro-scratches? It doesn't look like it's an abrasive product, but it mentions wax in the formula. Does it fill in the micro-scratches with a wax with similar optical properties to the plastic?

We're just exploring the alternatives, as the panels are actually made of PETG, which is even worse in terms of scratch resistance. The original poster said he was disappointed that the panels, which we thought were acrylic at first (manufacturers names: Plexiglas, Perspex etc), didn't appear to have a hard protective coating. The OP even suggested replacing the panels with glass.

An acrylic with a hard coating would be a fairly cheap alternative to glass. It's readily available and easy to cut with a laser cutter.

I'm happy enough with my original PETG panels, but they are very prone to scuffing. It's interesting exploring alternatives, Plexus cleaner or direct replacement panels that are more scratch resistant. I'm definitely more informed reading through this thread.

I'm now interested in using an Original Prusa enclosure for my resin printer if I could source UV light blocking panels. I've modified an Anycubic heater for inside my Prusa SL1S resin printer; it's a very tight squeeze, and I've made a heater for photographic lightbox enclosure that printer is currently in.

RE: how to clean enclosure plexiglass without scratching it

The Prusa enclosure panels are the softest, most scratch-prone clear panels I have ever experienced. The slightest bit of dust or dirt on your rag -- even a microfiber cloth -- is going to leave hairline scratches.  The cloth must be absolutely clean or you WILL scratch the panels.  Don't even think about touching them with paper towels.

I use a clean microfiber cloth and the Plexus product mentioned above.  I seal the cloth in a ziploc bag between uses.

Plexus is a great product.  I originally started buying it for my Piper airplane's windscreen but subsequently found it to work well on all plastics.  It cleans well, is not abrasive at all, doesn't leave any visible or tactile residue, and provides some anti-static properties. 

But in my experience, Plexus will not "remove" any existing scratches.  If scratches were fine enough, I suppose whatever Plexus leaves behind *might* make them less refractive/noticeable, but it is not going to remove them.  For that you need a (very, very) fine abrasive polish.

I love the enclosure, but really wish Prusa had spent a little more and gotten panels that were harder and more scratch resistant.  

RE: how to clean enclosure plexiglass without scratching it

Posted by: @ponyxpress

It is time to clean my enclosure.  I have noticed that the plexiglass sides can scratch super easy.  What is the recommended process to safely clean the plexiglass without scratching it?

 

I would suggest treating it with a ceramic coating prior to first use, might work after use as well. 

RE: how to clean enclosure plexiglass without scratching it

Just be careful if you choose to replace the PETG panels with acrylic.    When Acrylic and Isopropyl Alcohol get together... things get Craze-y.

I'm certain that's why Prusa chose PETG over acrylic.    Glass is just expensive to finish into their odd shapes and have more concerns for shipping breakage.