So, the understanding wife who allowed a 3D printer into the house would like it covered so that it doesn’t print 3D dust bunnies when it’s not being used. I can slap together a box/cover out of coroplast (corrugated plastic) in about an hour to keep it dust-free, but wondering if anyone has stumbled on some really creative covers?
I was going to go with a steampunk case, but my wife pointed out it would be just as much trouble dusting that as the printer.
A simple cloth (even custom-fitted) cover will look too messy apparently (I don’t complain about the guidelines since I don’t have to clean house!).
I’ll do the slap together this weekend, but if anyone sees something cool (and affordable) it would be great if you posted a link or photo. Mine is an Anet A8 Prusa i3 clone, so the footprint is somewhat large (20" wide, 17" deep, 20" high) but I’m not ready to mod it to a folding print bed (yet).
I would do what most of us do.
Buy 2 cheap side tables from either ikea or Walmart stack them on top of each other and print acessories. You can still use the curated plastic as the sides. Mine doesn’t look as nice but it cost me about $ 56 dollars in materials. And that’s including a led light.
Maybe it’s cheaper in the US, but the Canadian price for acrylic alone at Home Depot would run me $60 just for two sides and a front.
If I skip the acrylic, then I don’t need anything furniture as a frame. I have access to almost all the 1/8-inch plywood I could ask for – so a plywood box would be practically free – but boring.
True Value hardware stores have a thin roll of plastic that may make a decent enclosure. It is thick enough to not damage easy, but flexible enough to roll up. The price is nice too. Combine that with a more rigid frame and there you go.
@allanGEE I still highly suggest you build a enclosure instead of a cover for your 3d printer. It will help with fumes, dust, and it also helps with your prints because it helps control the temperature by blocking wind a keeps heat in. It will also help with adhesion and warping of your prints.
if you are worried about price build your frame and use corrugated plastic board around the side except the front buy something see through.
if your worried about it sitting on your desk and collecting dust from not using it I would just place it in a garbage bag and place somewhere it will not get hit or touched often so its safe.
If you have the printer in the garage, get a moisture safe box for your filament. If you will have your printer not printing for a while, consider a dust wiping sponge for the filament.
I use a black cardboard/cloth box meant for those IKEA cube shelves. Just flip it upside down, drop it on top. It’s flexible (sides are cardboard under the canvas) so while my printer has some protrusions it adapts to fit.
Works great for me, cost $5, keeps dust out of the printer and fingers off the build plate.
I was at the thrift store on the weekend and noticed they have some stuff made out of clear acrylic (photo frames, sign holders, etc).
I think my plan will now be building a “box” out of 1/8-inch plywood (you can salvage the stuff for free from old interior doors) and then add acrylic as I find it.
I also have 4 panels of acrylic from salvaged computer monitors but the stuff is 1/4-inch thick – which is overkill and adds too much weight.
@David_Sherwood The garage is not an option. I live in Manitoba and even my insulated garage drops below freezing on some winter days. Plus the garage doubles as my workshop and I would need an enclosure with filtered ventilation (assuming I felt like pre-heating the garage for 3 hours before every winter print).
On a side note, I think someone claimed to actually print in an igloo, but that was about 2 years ago and I have no idea who that would be or how they pulled it off.
As of last night, there’s a 21-inch white coroplast cube over the printer. It’s just there as a dust cover when not in use. I haven’t graduated to the type of prints that need an enclosure just yet.
This buys me time to over-think and over-build an enclosure.
