3D Printing Enclosure – Lannix Design

How To Build A Creality CR10 3D Printing Enclosure

Nick — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 21:30:58 +0000

Sometimes you need to 3D print something that’s just that little bit too big for the standard Prusa MK3S print bed. I thought I’d try out a Creality CR10 since they are relatively cheap and the guy I know who has one seems to believe they go alright. Check out our guide on replacing the thermistor to see what I think! This printer is to be used mainly for prototyping for the R-Spec side business we have in the works so it will do the job for now.

I was getting some inconsistent prints from it where I had it setup in a spare room so I thought an enclosure may help with that. I tried fitting it into the large enclosure we already have but it’s just that little bit too large to fit with its separate control box. A new enclosure needed to be built.

Planning

Many find it easy to go into a project without a plan but I for one prefer to have something to refer to during the build. My projects just turn out better that way so the enclosure was designed using CAD and reference drawings were printed.

The finished enclosure in its temporary home.

Thinking long term, this enclosure will end up living in the office of the new workshop so being a stand-alone design with its own base was critical. For now though, only the top half of the unit was built due to lack of space in the current workshop.

The door hinges required somewhat precise drilling for installation so I decided to make some drilling templates that could be 3D printed. They proved to be very handy and the door turned out perfectly.

Building

Material was mostly leftover from the other enclosure build which kept costs down. Some 3D printed parts gave an opportunity to inject some artistic flair. I wanted a shelf outside the cabinet to hold the control box in order to keep it away from the heat inside.

The use of clear acrylic for windows made it easier to work with compared to glass and has the benefit of being a better thermal insulator as well. installing the acrylic also gave me an opportunity to use the router which was nice.

Installing the door hinges required the use of a Forstner drill bit for a 35mm hole. I’d never used one so I was keen to try it out and it worked quite well. A spayed bit would have left a hole in the side of the cabinet which was less than desirable. The templates I 3D printed also worked very nicely.

Finishing

The shelf that holds the printer control box needed brackets and a ridge to keep the box from sliding off and smashing on the floor. Bunnings didn’t have a bracket that worked for me so I ended up designing something in CAD and 3D printing. The brackets were printed with four perimeters and 50% infill for strength. What I’ve been calling a ‘balustrade’ has been designed and 3D printed for the outside edge of the shelf. See what I mean in the gallery below!

All that’s left for the build is to acquire some insulating foam strip for the door and a suitable latch.

I hope you enjoyed the blog post. Talk to ya next week!

Gallery - CR10 3D Printing Enclosure Build - Part 1 - Design

Gallery - CR10 3D Printing Enclosure Build - Part 2 - Build

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August 2021 – More Enclosure Upgrades

Nick — Sat, 07 Aug 2021 21:30:29 +0000

Air filtration, heat and humidity management are an important part of maintaining high quality 3D prints. All through the year the humidity in Brisbane can be quite high so it’s important to control the climate in the workshop.

An air filtration unit has been installed in the enclosure and a dehumidifier is on its way which is designed to work in tandem with the filter.

The intention is to have an Arduino controller with a touchscreen that enables the three compartments in the enclosure to be filtered independently and shut off when not in use. The touchscreen allows control of the blast gates shown in the picture gallery below to seal any section of the enclosure that isn’t in use. A temperature and humidity sensor in each compartment will assess the conditions and the Arduino will automatically route humid air through the dehumidifier/heater and filter.

Because of the unusual size of the blast gates, the ducting needed to be designed from scratch in CAD and 3D printed. The plus side of this is that everything fits perfectly and was able to be installed without issue.

One of the rear ducting pieces on the printer

Gallery - Bespoke parts for enclosure ducting

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June 2021 – Enclosure Upgrades

Nick — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 21:30:57 +0000

The 3D printing enclosure has been a work in progress for the past few months as more upgrades have been added to further improve print quality and safety.

The addition of cameras and WIFI controlled power switches mean that long prints can be monitored and stopped from anywhere in the world if something isn’t right. When trying out new filaments, it is wise to stop a test print short if it doesn’t like a certain speed or temperature setting.

Other improvements are the concrete pavers and foam blocks underneath each printer that act as a damper to prevent vibrations affecting print quality. A cheap and simple upgrade that makes quite a difference.

Lastly, an air purifier has been ordered to extract any fumes building up in the workshop. Future plans to experiment with ABS and ASA filaments require this as the fumes released by printing with them are toxic to people and the environment. I’d rather keep them out of the atmosphere!

Prusa i3 MK3S 3D printers in the 3D printing enclosure

3D Printing Enclosure – Lannix Design

How To Build A Creality CR10 3D Printing Enclosure

Planning

Building

Finishing

Gallery - CR10 3D Printing Enclosure Build - Part 1 - Design

Gallery - CR10 3D Printing Enclosure Build - Part 2 - Build

See more of our work

August 2021 – More Enclosure Upgrades

Gallery - Bespoke parts for enclosure ducting

See more of our work

June 2021 – Enclosure Upgrades

Gallery - 3D Printing Enclosure Upgrades

See more of our work