Hey everybody,
I've built a sealed enclosure with the intent of keeping harmful fumes from inundating my office (see "Fume-blocking Enclusure" topic). I've since been working on a plan to add ventilation due to the potential heat build-up. My question is this: what is a safe operating temperature range for the M2?
In my enclosure, temps can reach about 100F/38C after a couple hours and seem to hover around that point. That seems hot to me, but I don't want to sacrifice the helpful properties of a heated build chamber more than necessary in my quest to add ventilation. I even hesitate a little to add ventilation since my prints are turning our really well right now (but if my electronics die, then that won't do me any good).
How hot is too hot for an enclosure?
Re: How hot is too hot for an enclosure?
I've been using a hot box for just a few weeks. Stratasys runs heated their chamber at 70C, so i tried that first but could see some creep in my ABS printer parts - so I backed it down to 60C. Still getting super nice builds. My cheap-crap web cam doesn't like it that hot, so I need to make an external mount arrangement for that. My power supply is also outside the box.
Most electronic stuff I've seen is rated at a top end of 105C, so I'm thinking I should still be OK at 60. I am contemplating adding some Peltier cooling to the X and Y steppers.
I printed some PETG at 50C, but haven't experimented with that at all to see what temp might work best.
At 60C my Hatchbox ABS parts come out with a nice, even, satin sheen, near zero warp when popped off the bed, easy removal from the PEI bed (100C, buffed with 1500 grit) and no sign of lifting on anything I've run yet.
I was surprised my how much my scaling factors have been impacted - especially the X/Y differential. Just did a calibration for ABS with a .35 nozzle.
Hatchbox ABS .35 x .175 layer .44 width 0.95 Extruder Comp 5000 speed
X Scale 100.4
Y Scale 100.55
Hor Offset -.06
Hatchbox ABS .35 x .18 layer .44 width 0.98 Extruder Comp 5000 speed - Heated 60C
X Scale 100.47
Y Scale 100.85
Hor Offset -.07
It looks like I need to add a Z scale factor on the heated config too - at first check it looks like Z Scale = 101.18.
Most electronic stuff I've seen is rated at a top end of 105C, so I'm thinking I should still be OK at 60. I am contemplating adding some Peltier cooling to the X and Y steppers.
I printed some PETG at 50C, but haven't experimented with that at all to see what temp might work best.
At 60C my Hatchbox ABS parts come out with a nice, even, satin sheen, near zero warp when popped off the bed, easy removal from the PEI bed (100C, buffed with 1500 grit) and no sign of lifting on anything I've run yet.
I was surprised my how much my scaling factors have been impacted - especially the X/Y differential. Just did a calibration for ABS with a .35 nozzle.
Hatchbox ABS .35 x .175 layer .44 width 0.95 Extruder Comp 5000 speed
X Scale 100.4
Y Scale 100.55
Hor Offset -.06
Hatchbox ABS .35 x .18 layer .44 width 0.98 Extruder Comp 5000 speed - Heated 60C
X Scale 100.47
Y Scale 100.85
Hor Offset -.07
It looks like I need to add a Z scale factor on the heated config too - at first check it looks like Z Scale = 101.18.
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thunderbt3
- Posts: 105
- Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2014 11:36 pm
Re: How hot is too hot for an enclosure?
A little off topic, but it's interesting how Stratasys heats their chamber. Here's a tear down video of an older Stratasys machine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1S_xJdJ0bo
They use heaters attached to the exterior sides of the build chamber so the sides are warmed via conduction. Air is blown across the heaters and the air exit into the build chamber directed at where the nozzle is depositing filament. So while the platform is moving down, warm air is being constantly blown just at the point of deposition. Either the build plate is missing in the video or it doesn't appear they use a heated build plate. I wonder if the ducted warm air is enough to heat up the bed for the first layers and then when the platform is moving down, it slowly transitions out of that heated zone and into the warm chamber to "temper".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1S_xJdJ0bo
They use heaters attached to the exterior sides of the build chamber so the sides are warmed via conduction. Air is blown across the heaters and the air exit into the build chamber directed at where the nozzle is depositing filament. So while the platform is moving down, warm air is being constantly blown just at the point of deposition. Either the build plate is missing in the video or it doesn't appear they use a heated build plate. I wonder if the ducted warm air is enough to heat up the bed for the first layers and then when the platform is moving down, it slowly transitions out of that heated zone and into the warm chamber to "temper".