Are you the proud owner of a 3D printer? Then, of course, you want to protect it from dust and curious pets. An enclosure also stops the heat released during printing from escaping. Acrylic sheet and polycarbonate are ideal materials for constructing a DIY 3D printer casing. You’ll find some valuable tips and tricks in this blog.
Use transparent plastic for your 3D printer cover box
Clear acrylic and clear polycarbonate are the materials of choice for building a 3D printer dust cover. Clear plastic allows you to monitor the printing process and intervene if anything goes wrong during printing. Be sure to order the correct thickness of acrylic or polycarbonate for the dimensions of your printer casing. Not sure about the thickness? Please consult our free thickness aid. We’ll saw all the acrylic sheets for you in any shape you require.
Determine the correct dimensions for your 3D printer casing
Before ordering your custom-cut plastic sheets, it’s essential to consider your design carefully. When deciding on the length and width of the plastic casing, bear in mind the horizontal movements that your XY table makes. So it’s better to keep your printer enclosure a bit more spacious. It’s also important to think carefully about how you want to build the door of your printer casing and whether you want an acrylic base or fix the casing to the worktop with screws.
Order all the parts for your 3D printer made to measure.
For optimal results, it’s best to leave the milling and sawing of your 3D printer casing to the experts. When you order your plastic sheets in our webshop, we laser cut the acrylic to the millimetre. First, design your 3D printer casing on your computer and have the sheets custom made by uploading a DXF file. Include the mounting holes in your design; then you won’t have to process the acrylic yourself, and you can be sure of a neat finish.
Want to make a DIY 3D printer thermal runaway protection?
Has this blog inspired you to make your own 3D printer enclosure? It’s easy when you upload your design via a DXF file with OnShape. First, view the OnShape tutorial and check our drawing rules for uploading a DXF file. If you have any questions about this blog or any of our products, please feel free to contact us.