Modular M2 Cabinet

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pyronaught
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Modular M2 Cabinet

Post by pyronaught » Sun Jan 17, 2016 5:30 am

I've got a new design for a modular M2 temp controlled cabinet. These are designed to be stackable and fits the M2 like a glove with no leftover space. Normally leaving no space on the sides creates a hassle when it's time to change the filament reel, so what I did was remove the spool post from the M2 and mount it on a swing arm suspended from the side. This way the spool sits in the exact same place it normally does, but allows swinging it forward to easily change out the spool.

The cabinet door tilts up and then slides into the cabinet to get it out of the way when printing with the door open. There's a small storage space at the top that holds six standard size spools and then another narrow shelf that can be used to hold plates, films, tools etc.

The angled control panel at the bottom is actually a drawer that can be pushed into the cabinet to keep the dust off and, more importantly, keep my 3 year old from messing with the controls or yanking the SD card out during a print. I'll have to put some kind of plexiglass locking door in front of that to keep him out of there.

The M2 power supply and Rambo are located behind the sliding drawer in the sub floor under the printer to keep them out of the heat. No cables have to be modified or lengthened, everything fits using standard M2 cables. Temperature control is done with an STC-1000 unit hooked to a fan in the back that sucks air out the back and blows it through a PVC pipe network that routs the stinky ABS fumes out a window. Assuming I can get viki2 working, it will also be located on the angled control panel next to the temperature controller. The boxes are 36" tall, so you can only stack them two high before hitting the ceiling, but they are only 20" wide so you can get quite a few sets next to each other . If the storage space was eliminated then you could stack them three tall, but then trying to operate the top would then require a stepping stool.

Now to actually build it :)
modular_cabinet.jpg
Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.

JeremyV
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Re: Modular M2 Cabinet

Post by JeremyV » Sun Jan 17, 2016 10:36 pm

All I need to know is how much and when you expect to be shipping these? ;)

They look really slick! Keep us updated

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pyronaught
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Re: Modular M2 Cabinet

Post by pyronaught » Mon Jan 18, 2016 3:11 am

I had to make this cabinet about 6" deeper than my first one due to changes in how the build plate heater cable is constructed in the latest M2s. The minimum distance to accommodate the full range of the build plate travel, with clip handles hanging of both ends, is 22 inches. However, the cable comes straight out of the back side of the build plate and is more rigid now due to the hard plastic cable shroud. So when the plate is at the lowest point you have a pretty big loop of cable in the back that will collide with the back wall unless you leave a lot of extra space for it. You really need at least 26" of cabinet depth to keep from binding the cable against the back wall. I'm going with 28" depth since that results in less leftover scrap wood and doesn't cost any extra to do. The parts for one cabinet uses almost every bit of a full 4ft x 8ft sheet of material, so it weighs a good bit. I thought about maybe using 1/2" sanded plywood just to get the weight down, but the white melamine just looks so much cleaner and bright with no finish work required. If it just wasn't so damn heavy! I about busted a nut getting four sheets of that stuff into my shop.
Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.

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insta
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Re: Modular M2 Cabinet

Post by insta » Mon Jan 18, 2016 3:31 am

I have a potential need for 5-6 of these, and access to a CNC router that can handle 4x8 sheets. Consider this some official interest ;)
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pyronaught
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Re: Modular M2 Cabinet

Post by pyronaught » Mon Jan 18, 2016 6:06 am

I don't have the space for a CNC router, so I have to make these the old-school way. I don't even have the space for a table saw, I have to do everything with either a radial arm saw or hand cut the big pieces with a skill saw outside. I use dados for all the joints though, so any uneven edges from hand cutting are hidden.
Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.

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ericthered
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Re: Modular M2 Cabinet

Post by ericthered » Mon Feb 08, 2016 9:10 pm

These are really cool! What's the foot print of the enclosure? I see they're 20" wide but is the depth 28"? I wasn't quite sure from the post

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pyronaught
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Re: Modular M2 Cabinet

Post by pyronaught » Fri Feb 12, 2016 2:57 am

ericthered wrote:These are really cool! What's the foot print of the enclosure? I see they're 20" wide but is the depth 28"? I wasn't quite sure from the post
Yeah, they are 28" deep.
Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.

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pyronaught
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Re: Modular M2 Cabinet

Post by pyronaught » Thu Mar 31, 2016 2:17 am

I've been too busy to get all these cabinets built, but I do have one just about done. I changed the window to just be a round porthole, mainly because I went to a double door design instead of the lift-up sliding door and a big square split window might have made the door too flimsy. The lift-up door in the original was just to much of a pain to try and build, and I think it also would not be as easy to operate as a set of double doors like the one below.

The lighting is from a single LED puck light I found at Lowes, which is pretty darn bright. The swinging spool changer works great too. The printed spool holder was removed from the M2 and attached to the swing arm, which holds the spool in exactly the same place as when it was attached to the M2.
cabinet1.jpg
cabinet2.jpg
cabinet3.jpg
Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.

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Jules
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Re: Modular M2 Cabinet

Post by Jules » Thu Mar 31, 2016 2:31 am

Looks mighty fine.........I like the swing out spool holder too! :D

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pyronaught
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Re: Modular M2 Cabinet

Post by pyronaught » Thu Mar 31, 2016 2:59 am

I'm using this key switch for the M2 power switch on the front panel. No more worries about the 3 yr old turning off the printer in the middle of a job :)

http://www.amazon.com/Parts-Express-Swi ... ailpages00
Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.

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