Hi all! I was curious to see if anyone had any recommendations for an enclosure for the Ender V3 Neo. I found a few on Amazon, but they look like grow tents and wasn’t sure if that would work well. For a bit of context, it seems like an enclosure is a must have for ABS printing which is ultimately what I’m after.
Thanks everyone!
Cheapest option would be a giant cardboard box you have lying around. Followed by a grow tent. Both go up passively to around 45C which is fine for ABS. They are working well for the occasional abs print. If you want something more professional you can diy an enclosure, prusa has the step files for a version build of ikea lack tables on printables. Many similar lack versions online You could replace the acrylic side panels for anything you have in your garage to save costs. In the end you can modify any box to be your enclosure. Last but not least there are full acrylic enclosures out there, even in custom sizes. Those look great but will come at a price. Dont forget that any pla printed upgrades for your ender will soften and loose proper function. Also electronics should be moved outside to lengthen their lifetime.
Thanks for the tips! It sounds like I’m in for more of a project that I initially suspected. I’ll have to check out Prusa’s guide amd see what it takes to move the electronics.
Luckily I’ve left the printer untouched in terms of pla upgrades.
They work decently. I’ve never had an issue printing ABS with my comgrow one (I can actually print it easier than petg).
Although I am in the process of converting an old oven into a heated build chamber.
Thank you! That’s what I’ll go with
NP. You don’t need a whole lot to get the chamber temps to be ABS friendly. I do recommend keeping it open if printing PLA, though.
Does it just get to hot for pla to cool if its closed up?
Yeah, it will affect the print quality because the layers don’t cool off enough in between layers.
How you manage the fumes ?
I don’t. I dont print enough ABS to worry about fumes.
Although I do have a fan in my office door to suck air out (I also have a 55g aquarium and gaming rig, so it gets to 90F in there without it.
What’s your end game? I printed parts for my Voron on an older non-ender i3 clone. To do so I
- used an all metal hot end. Granted, that had been on the printer for years and might not have been absolutely necessary
- reprinted all my i3 clone’s printed parts in ASA. This includes the thumbwheels for bed leveling and the cooling duct. The parts were PETG and were deforming. For example, the bed was going out of level between prints likely because the threads in the thumbwheels were melting. All my problems there went away with ASA
- taped together sections from multiple cardboard boxes to make the enclosure. Finding one big box would have required going to a hardware store and buying one. Cutting a few Amazon boxes together was much lower effort
The parts printed pretty well, but the printer started… getting flaky toward the end. I suspect it’s because the electronics were still enclosed in the printer, which was then enclosed inside the cardboard. If I had to do it again, I would try to make a somewhat more complicated enclosure to keep the electronics out of it and/or relocate the electronics or add a fan to them.
Ultimately I’m printing a lot of MTG commander deck boxs with screw tops and would like them to include a seal so their water tight. I’m also starting to design some camera adapters that need to set outside for a lengthy period of time.
I got lucky with mine since neo came with an all metal hot end but haven’t done any upgrades. Long term I was pretty much just planning to use this one until it stops printing, but now this is a full blown addiction and I’m hoping to get a second printer with multiple hot ends when my wife and I get get some more space.
Thank you for the ASA tips! Do you have any recommendations on printing that material? I think I overlooked that filament.
Have you tested any of your prints to see if they’re water tight? That’s not an easy feat, but figuring it out also won’t require an enclosure. I once tried printing a pool part out of PETG and it filled with water very quickly - you could see it whicking through the layer lines. Once you nail water tight printing via tuning, a TPU gasket should give you a pretty decent seal.
Are you looking to go multi-matetial? I’ve run quite a range of material through my stock i3 extruder and also my Rapido HF on my stealthburner. Both extruders have handled a decent range of materials without a ton of fuss.
I went for ASA over ABS because it has a reputation for being lower odor and easier to print. If you’ve figured out PETG, ASA won’t be too hard. Natural colored ASA was super easy to print. Colored ASA needed a lower extrusion multiplier and was more prone to warping in my experience. Don’t rush either (do a test print, clean and level your bed, use an enclosure) and it shouldn’t be that hard. Assuming I had a clean and level bed prints were pretty uneventful. I went for 100 bed / 245 extruder. The only small gotcha was needing to PID tune at the higher temperature.
Not yet, I’ve only ever printed PLA and heard that it will never get water tight. Grant it, I have a print I can test when it finishes up in a day or two.
I thought about running multi-material but would need to get that add on that can splice in filaments to run through the Neo’s single extruder ( maybe the sidewinder x1?), but can’t remember what it’s called to look at reviews
I wouldn’t worry about multiple extruders in that case. Most of the current high performers are well rounded enough to be able to handle most anything you throw at them.
Thank you!
