One of the biggest variables in 3D resin printing is the resin temp. Most resins publish a recommended print temp - on the Anycubic Craftsman and ABS+ Resins the bottle recommends 25 to 30 C. Hear in the UK that would require a heatwave to be declared. Ambient temp for me is approx 16 - 18 C (SWMBO - has the heating set higher in her domain). As my printers are to be moved to the man cave - nae heating - keeps it as a man only cave , some form of resin heating will be required - for the printers that is, us real men will just stand and watch and shiver. So the Youtube search started - actually this jyst dropped on my recommended watch list This heater is for the printer enclosure As I have several printers one for each of these may be a bit expensive, so VogMan has a revamp on the above heater system I do have a small oil filled radiator, which may also do the job - possibly with an additional fan for circulation, and heatup my full enclosure - ply lined 25mm foam insulation. And may be more suited to my application, but thought these may help, gives time to get the bits in time for winter Paul
Hi Mossy The standalone one - first and third video's Main components - priced at Amazon UK Heater £18 12V 5A power supply £15 Power switches £4 for 5 Power sockets £8 for 5 Temp controller £9 Approx £50 plus the magnets and resin to make the housing. My preference is leaning towards using the oil filled radiator I already have - a 700W unit, and if the temp control from the built in thermostat is not good enough then ad one of these Interestingly it has two controls heating and cooling, by connecting the heating output one to a mains socket with the radiator plugged into it, and the cooling output to an expelaire fan. Both outputs can switch 10A @ 220V. I'd also wire an overide for the cooling fan for ventillation just before and during the enclosure cabinet doors are open. The radiator only uses 700W warming up once at temp it's quite frugal. The addition of a couple of 120mm 12V fans £7 each or a pack of 3 for £14, these run at low rpm run fairly silent and would circulate the air in the enclosure. I could run the printers with the lids off inside the enclosure, and also provide storage for the opened (inuse) bottle(s) of resin and the next full bottle within the enclosure. Online the recommended storage temp for resin is between 10C and 60C, so looks like I will need to store my resin in the house to avoid extremes when not in use, I did consider a fridge but in the UK the ave fridge temp is 5C - gee thats above the normal outside temp for most of the year in Dundee, i'm putting food in the fridge to warm it up. Thats the plan at the moment ....... still working on the shed to clear space and drill ventillation holes, one for the cooling system and one for venting IPA fumes during the wash process. I've found its the IPA fumes that are effecting my skin - damn covid hand sanitizers. Paul
So a nice idea but not cheap having said that with your array of 4 or 5 printers about the price of a wheel set for a 4-6-0 and tender. I think will pass. Mossy
Hence the going for a larger enclosure with a small oil filled radiator I already have, if it can heat a small room it should cope. Checked on Amazon a new one would cost about £35 to £40. Currently looking at UV screens / film to cover the window apertures in the enclosure doors, this would allow me to run the printers without the covers, allowing the heat into thew area and reduce the overall height of the cabinet enclosure as I won't have to lift the lid off the printer. Or put the printers on sliders that will allow them to be pulled clear of the doors to allow the lid to be removed. I should maybe write down my requirements rather than just winging it with the materials I have lying around Paul
OK - so I'm winging it then ....... My absence over the last few days has been mainly due to how do Yorkshiremen put it, "putting my money where my mouth is" so to speak. For extraction I decided on the Xpelair DX100 100mm Extractor Fan approx £35 from Toolstation. I could have got cheaper ones, but these included ducting and external vanes. My plan is to have two distinct areas, one for the printers - both heated and with extraction, and a second area for washing this on ly having extraction. The area in the shed was partially insulated, so that had to be completed first. Next up fitting of the first xpelair in what will be the printer area. A pilot hole was drilled through from the inside - I knew where the cables were so as to avoid them - then drilled from both sides with the hole saw. A wee bit of fettling with a flap wheel and the ducting slid though - not to loose, but definately not tight as this can cause the tube to go out of shape and restrict the smooth running of the fan. The vent flap assembly fits inside the tube and when fitted will push the tube flush with the outer wall. So I pushed the tube to give 10 - 15 mm beyond the wall, then applied a bead of weather sealant around the tube, inserted the vent assy and gently pushed the whole assembly home. Two screws to secure the vent, and then sealed the outer edge of the vent assembly. Left overnight to set, then in the morning applied super glue to the inner joint on the pipe and inner wall. Trimmed to size with a saw and cleaned up with a craft knife. The Xpelair just drops in - still needs wiring - more on that later. Moving on to the booth construction, the base, roof and internal sides will have 25mm of foam insulation, with a 6mm layer of hardboard for the work surface and 3mm hardboard for the inner walls and roof. As can be seen from the photo's the outer walls are either 12mm chipboard, or 11 OSB - Wickes had no 12 chipboard in stock. A frame was made up for the inner wall, roof and base The base was applied and cut to size Giving Now that brings up the was area, unfortunately, that also had the fuse box right wher I need to put the xpelair Current wiring has a 6A lighting circuit, 6A Alarm circuit, 16A supply to the Caravan, 32A Ring main. Moving the fuse board 2ft lower is easily coped with for the Inbound supply and the Caravan output, but the others will all need attention. Currently lecky is disconnected while the movement work is carried out, which is a bit of a pain as I can't use the power tools to progress the rest of the build. Hopefully normal survice will be resummed soon. Paul
A bit more progress Electrics almost completed The single double socket on the ring main was extended to 4 double sockets plus an isolator for the printer enclosure extractor fan, circulation / filter fans and the light. Two of the double sockets have usb sockets for charging the Anycubic AirPure filter units. Control is via 3 light switches - heat controller is still to be fitted. Switch 1 - Manual activation of Xpelair extractor fan, Switch 2 power on for 3 x 120mm computer fans for circulating the air around the enclosure - I will eventually print a holder that will include a large carbon filter to help reduce the odours. Switch 3 is for a 22W Led light unit. I spotted this on sale at B&Q down to £12 and its rated to IP65. And with the light on Checked to make sure I can remove the printer lid - The small radiator I originally intended to use, has decided to pack in, so it's big brother has stepped up to the plate. And with the printers in place The fume cupboard side has had the fixed upper window fitted and with the two Elegoo wash machines fitted looks like this The left hand tank is the 1st wash, the right hand one the 2nd wash. Still to do the lower window, which when closed will leave a 50mm gap in the lower section, allowing the extractor fan to draw air in and expell the fumes out. The more observant, may have noticed that the two Original Photons are missing, and a big brute has moved into the left hand side. The two Photons are resting on the shelf above in case called upon. I picked up an M3 Max with a 20% discount, this beast has been sitting in its box in the man cave for best part of a month, while I faffed around building this enclosure. It has now been powered up - I had to to be able to assemble it - honest it says so in the instructions. But still to carry out a test print. Monitoring the temp in the shed today was an uncomfortable 24C, inside each of the enclosures was 22.5C and after running the fans for 20 mins the temp was 21.5C. Still got the printer enclosure doors to sort, and some form of bench to sit the build plates on to drain prior to washing. Time for bed, I may be lucky and get to play in the shed tomorrow - managed to cut the grass today, think I may have been better hiring a combined harvester, and think I only have a few errands to run, but I never know what SWMBO may have forgotten which jobs I forgot to read her mind for Paul
