I’m in the process of building an enclosure for my TAZ 4->5, partly based on one of the popular designs around here.
I see different information on the following points everywhere I go, so I’d appreciate if someone could help me out with this:
Is it safe to have the filament spools on the inside of the enclosure? I’ve heard some things about this causing PLA to become brittle due to its low glass transition temperature, but I print in PETG, ABS, NinjaFlex and Nylon (never PLA), all of which have higher GT temps, so would it be safe to do this with these filaments?
The power supply will obviously be going outside, and the control box needs an air intake to keep it cool. Is an air intake alone enough or is it also necessary to have an exhaust vent somewhere to keep temps in the whole enclosure down?
In addition to this, would the intake/exhaust work with filters to clean the air, allowing no harmful fumes/particles to exit, or would this reduce the airflow too much?
Is there some kind of smart way to let cables enter the box without them leaving an “open” hole in it? I want this thing to be as air tight as possible so I can filter the air.
Is it safe to have the filament spools on the inside of the enclosure?..
Not sure here
…Is an air intake alone enough or is it also necessary to have an exhaust vent somewhere to keep temps in the whole enclosure down?..
I believe you want to have a controled Temperature in the enclosure and you want the controls to be cool. Even though I don’t know your controls box, I guess it has a fan and there for has an air entry and an air Exit. Idealy you connect both to the outside of your enclosure. This allows cool controls and in parallel the airflow will not influence your temperature in the enclosure.
In addition to this, would the intake/exhaust work with filters to clean the air, allowing no harmful fumes/particles to exit, or would this reduce the airflow too much?
A Filter is never a bad Idea. The airflow is depending on the filter construction and the fan you are using. You probably will have to play a little with fan Speeds to get it sorted. Check out the activated carbon filters that are used for laser Printers. Those are available as spare parts and usually have a “normal Fan” behind them.
Is there some kind of smart way to let cables enter the box without them leaving an “open” hole in it?
There are many
Some of my favorites are:
a) A round hole in the encloser large enough that you can easily route all the cables in. You use a Piece of foamrubber with a cut to its Center to close the hole. the cable you arrange within the cut. All is tight and in an order.
b) a Slot in the enclosure again large enough. After Routing the cables you can Close it with foamrubber or any other flexible material only this time you don’t need to cut.
All the Best
Frank
P.S. sorry if there is some weird spelling. I am working from a Computer that has german autospellcorrection on
I’ve never read definitive info that says you can’t. Are you concerned with the look of having the spool on the outside or trying to figure out how to get guide it into the box? This is my solution using JonathanB’s stupendous design. Free CAD Designs, Files & 3D Models | The GrabCAD Community Library I actually much prefer having the filament drop straight down into the extruder and i’ve tried many different options. And here’s the great thread in this forum. HOT BOX 3DP ENCLOSURE SYSTEM (For Taz) It’s a must read.
I’ve printed for 7 months with only an intake for the control box and even though i built the intake and the exhaust ports from Jonathan’s design, i’ve never actually wired up the fans and used them. In other words, it’s definitely never been too hot in the box. I print majority in ABS but when i print with PLA i just leave the door cracked so it doesn’t get so hot.
A filter would be just fine to use as long as it didn’t restrict the airflow so much that it caused stress on the fan. You’d have to be the judge of that.
It’s hard to explain but i actually bring my cables in from the floor of my enclosure. The base of mine is a bit bigger than the file cabinet i have it sitting on and i’m just exploiting the fact that heat rises and won’t escape from the opening in the bottom. Never caused me a problem. But there are also a lot of these types of brushed openings you can get as well to keep the heat in and make an easy way to pass cables through. https://www.google.com/search?q=brushed+grommet&espv=2&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi6ivivmb_NAhXIMSYKHXjkAqAQ_AUICSgC&biw=1769&bih=1207
Thanks for both of your replies - I appreciate it.
I feel more confident on all the other questions now
I’d prefer the filament inside to avoid drilling extra holes in the enclosure and make it more simple (especially because my enclosure will probably have a removable top, so I’d have to remove the filament before removing the top).
It’s not a big deal but it would be sweet to do it that way.
Regardless, I’m gonna go experiment with some fan/filter stuff and cable routing now. Thanks!
