DIY Snapmaker Original Enclosure (for larger Z-axis models)

Snapmaker Original
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Wanted to share my homemade enclosure, and I also have questions about it’s practicality.

I’ve owned the Snapmaker Original since I backed it on Kickstarter all those years ago.

During the recent Black Friday sale, I decided to slightly upgrade, but it was either a case of spending a LOT of money on the new Snapmaker 2.0, or buying the extended Z-Axis. I opted for the Z-axis extender. This meant either buying the new larger enclosure (too much and I don’t have the space right now), or building one from scratch.

Having seen so many different DIY printer enclosures, I put this together.

I don’t plan on printing too much ABS just yet, again due to lack of filtration.

I’ve reduced the noise considerably, and is much more pleasant on the ears than pre-enclosure, but I think I can improve this.

It is predominantly made of MDF, as that’s what I had lying around at the time.

The perspex panel is specifically for use with lasers, as I hope to use the engraver soon. When I do, I have a flame retardant spray ready to coat the interior to prevent any fire risk

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IMG_13303024×4032 1.17 MB
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Questions:

The ambient temperature inside the enclosure whilst printing doesn’t seem to exceed 40℃.

How much does this affect the PLA whilst printing?

How safe is it to run the Snapmaker with the ambient temperature around 40℃?

How much damage may this cause to the internal parts (fans, thermistor etc.)
(The power supply is fitted externally.)

Do I need to install a cooling system?

If I should, are there any recommendations for cooling fans? I’m not too bothered about heating the enclosure up, more about keeping it at a sensible operating temperature.

I’m considering adding noise-reduction foam on the interior walls like this below
Foam Acoustic Insulation

Do this run the risk of increasing the internal temperature too much?

I guess the main question I’m asking is what is an acceptable maximum ambient temperature for the Snapmaker to operate at?

Please feel free to ask me any questions about the enclosure itself.

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I appreciate your attention to detail. Very nice design, well executed.

I think you’ll find ventilation good for lasering, it puts off significant smoke.

40C will be great for printing, if anything you might consider a small internal circulation fan to circulate the warm air so there is not a strong gradient from bottom to top which may induce warping as the plastic cools.

For ventilation, a computer fan of 80mm or 120mm will be fine - look for one with the highest static pressure you can find. If your enclosure is too air-tight you may consider putting a filtered air inlet on the door so as not to restrict airflow excessively.

I wouldn’t be concerned about operation until temperatures exceed 50C.

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Thanks for the information. I also was wondering if the temp could be an issue in my diy build case.

Thanks again :+1:

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Thanks very much for the advice. It’s definitely put me at ease! My main concern was the ambient temperature, as the device seemed to get quite hot. Don’t want to damage any moving parts.

I will certainly be looking at some kind of ventilation when I get round to using the laser attachment.

I had noticed a very small amount of warping on a part I printed earlier (only supports affected), so I’ll consider putting in a small fan to circulate the air inside and see if that helps.

I feel much safer printing now without needing to worry too much about the ambient temperature just yet. I’ll get hold of some noise reducting foam to see how that affects things, and help dampen the sound.

Already, it’s so much more pleasant than before!

Thanks again!