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Ender 3 Enclosure

Background:

When I started printing ABS I noticed an "aroma" coming off the parts from and ultimately from the printed while it was printing. Interesting, right? As it turns out the melting of the ABS releases a carcinogen. Not only that, but the first couple of prints came out very warped and split in some areas. A little research on the internet and the conclusion was made that an enclosure could help get rid of some of the smells and improve the quality of the prints.

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Thought Process

Simplicity and a budget of under $100 would have to be key to the build as woodworking has never been my strong suit and I only allocated $100 this month to my "side projects." Also, as I mentioned earlier with the splitting of the parts and such the enclosure would need to help with thermal uniformity and be somewhat insulated. After previously working in a lab I have had some experience building/designing enclosures, many of which use aluminum extrusions (80-20) and plexiglass (They also didn't have a budget). With this whole COVID-19 pandemic one would assume that there wouldn't be much left, but turns out both Amazon and Home Depot had it in stock. I digress. The dimensions for the Ender 3 turn out to be roughly 17"x18"x24". In the past I've found out that you can normally buy a cheap table for less than you can make one. (Link to the one I bought on the right.) Also purchased 16' of untreated 2"x2", 5 sheets of plexiglass, hinges, magnetic latches, knobs, dryer venting and some silicone. Some links to the right, some below and full disclosure that if you click on one and buy it that could help turn this into more than a hobby! Thank you.

Build Process

This page could easily be added to the EOFO blog because this took all day. And was frustrating at times, but that was more my incompetence and having to think things through a little extra after messing up. The good news is the whole assembly can be done with a 1/8" blade on a table or miter saw Kreg pocket hole jig, drill, and some screws. Fortunately, over time I have acquired all these devices.

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Step 1 Cut 2x2's to length: 

The title is pretty self-explanatory, but you're probably asking yourself how long and how many?

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4 24" 2x2's

8 20" 2x2's

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That's it and a quick bare-bones setup is shown to the right.

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Step 2 Cut Notches for Plexiglass:

You'll notice in the product links that the plexiglass is ~1/8" thick. This thickness is almost exactly the curf of the saw blades that will be used to cut the notches in the 2x2's that the plexiglass will slide into. This is where some extra thinking and mistakes were made. You'll have to determine the geometry and connections for everything. Meaning that some of the 2x2's will have one slot and others (most) will have two. 

 

All that needs to be done is set your table saw to a height of about .25" and adjust your guide so that the 2x2 is centered. Slice up the 2x2's and you'll be all set. Final notches for a two-notch piece are shown on the right.

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Step 3: Cut the Plexiglass Down to Size

Depending on the geometry of your enclosure will determine what cuts you need to make. If you have an extra set of hands to help you out that will be very beneficial as the plexiglass has a tendency to lift up, making it difficult to cut. Unfortunately, I didn't have an extra set of hands to get a picture of this step (Probably for the best..)

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Step 4: Pocket Holes

This is another one of the steps where you will have to use some thinking skills. I made a few mistakes, but essentially all you need to do is drill two pocket holes in each respective 2"x2". I use a Kreg jig for all my work and I recommend you do the same. Sorry, for the lack of pictures. This was about the point in the day when I was starting to get aggravated, to say the least. 

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Step 5: Assemble Frame and Insert Plexiglass

With your slots cut, pocket holes drilled and plexiglass cut down to the size you're all set to assemble. Patience is key to this step. I recommend assembling one side at a time, then connecting all of them together, and then inserting the top plexi glass piece. If you did all the measuring correctly the  Remember that the front side where the door will go does not get assembled in this step.

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Step 6: Install Hardware

As far as hardware goes two hinges, a know and a magnetic latch was all I needed. The magnetic latch allows for the secure and effortless closing of the front door. One issue you may run into would be the screws being too long for the plexiglass. The best advice I can give is just to be careful if you ever have to reach your hand in (Which you will if you ever remove a print..). I used cardboard to cover them up. Also, be careful not to crack the plexiglass when drilling the holes.

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Step 7: Adjust Ender Configuration

Depending on whether or not you want to move your power supply outside, you'll have to detach it from the original positioning, unplug and screw it to the side of the plexiglass. There's probably a better way to attach it. The only reason I did this was it's much easier to turn on the system from the outside than from the inside in my opinion. I also modified the location of the filament spool. Two drywall screws through the top of the 2"x2" to hold the spool and then a tiny drill bit to feed the filament through the plexiglass. 

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Step 8: Venting

I skipped right to step 9 after a long day of building. As of now, I have the parts designed and printed, just need to install them. I'll make sure to share at a later date. If it helps I noticed much less of a smell and better temperature control even without the venting. One thing I did do was silicone along all the edges to help minimize fumes escaping. 

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Step 9: Start Printing

You know the drill from here. With the Hatchbox ABS, I found that a bed temp of 105°C and print temp of 230°C worked the best. I also recommend using a standard raft. Its working great so far!

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End Results

While the final product may not be the best craftmanship, the design works great for what I need it to. If this was done again serial number 002 would be much better with some refinement. The fumes are way down even without the ventilation and the improvement of the temperature control is by far the best feature. Thank you for reading along, putting up with the ads, and if you really enjoyed the content you can always donate via Venmo to @millennial_engineer. If you didn't appreciate the content or have any questions please leave some comments below! Thank you! And best of luck in 2021.

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