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What materials for 3D printer enclosure?

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Ranayna:
I am in the process of building an enclosure for my 3D printer. The framework is made from 20mm extruded aluminium profiles, and is already finished.
The bottom and back plate were going to be 18mm coated plywood. I have the cut plates, but have not prepared them further, since currently i am a bit unsure about them.

My next question was: Polycarbonate or Acrylic for the transparent parts?

Acrylic looks nicer and is a bit cheaper, polycarbonate is more robust and can withstand higher temperatures, while being a bit less transparent.
But when comparing these two, i noticed a difference in ignition resistance: Acrylic is classified to be easier to ignite than polycarbonate.
So the answer seems to be obvious, polycarbonate wins out, even if it is a bit more expensive.

But that then got me thinking further: Regarding fire safety, the plywood plates seem to be bad. They offer little protection, and if properly ignited will contribute to a fire.
So should i use them, or should i look for a different material?
I do not really have the facilities to process a metal plate to make cutouts or even drill clean holes, whereas the plywood can be easily drilled. The plywood is also very rigid and heavy, contributing to the stability of the printer.

Finally, a last consideration came up: Are there small smoke detectors that i could integrate into the enclosure, that provide me with an interface to cut power to the printer when smoke is detected?

Maybe i am a bit too concerned? I have reasonable confidence in the safety of the printer, an original Prusa that i assembled myself from the kit, but i am still uncomfortable letting it print unsupervised. Also I will need to modify the cabling if i want to move the powersupply to the outside of the enclosure.

Lindley:
No, do not think you can be too safe with such devices, though think they are a bit better made than the earlier ones, but do check your model has had any hardware or firmware updates that address such fire risks.

To that end we do not have ours in the main house, but in a work area of the separate garage and we us Octoprint with a  Raps Pi camera to monitor its progress.

We looked around and found that some of the cheap house smoke detectors do have an  output signal point on the pcb  that could be used via the micro to power off the printer and send out and alarm signal to the main house should it start smoking.

We also have it connected to a temperature sensor fitted at the top of the enclosure along with a little display with can view in Octoprint.

When the print ends it pushes the print table fully forwards, but remains powered on, so we used a microswitch to sense that fully forwards position , which after a 5 minute cool down period , cuts all the power off.

As for your enclosure, if metal is not an option for the panels, then can only suggest things like Glass , Plasterboard or Fibre Cement Boards  though both will be very heavy .

EPAIII:
I have an enclosure in mind and partially designed. Plywood base, 3/4" (19mm), aluminum extrusion frame, and clear plastic sides. Not sure about the top as I want to be able to have one or two reels of filament there.

I had not thought about fire safety. Is there that much of a threat? I have heard of concern about fumes and wanted a vent to outside of the house. My printer is presently in my office. But it would seem easy to add a temperature sensor and/or smoke detector and a single board computer (Arduino, Raspberry Pi, etc.) to monitor them.

Power shut off relay:

https://www.google.com/search?q=power+shutoff+relay&client=firefox-b-1-d&sxsrf=AJOqlzU3PtIStohy_xB6-7NO21yP3Pq6RQ%3A1676958444210&ei=7Fr0Y9e5DO-3qtsPxoSGGA&ved=0ahUKEwjX3_qC9aX9AhXvm2oFHUaCAQMQ4dUDCA8&uact=5&oq=power+shutoff+relay&gs_lcp=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&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

Ranayna:
So your enclosure will be very similar to mine.
The top of my enclosure will be clear, i decided to make a hinged top door as well, to give me easy access to the printer and the filament, which will be inside the enclosure

I think i will keep with the plywood base for now, at least to finally get the thing finished.
The relay search term helps a lot, i was looking for just such a thing but had no idea what that was called. Now on to find such a thing from a reputable seller.

Ranayna:
Ok, i think i need to ask another question about these relays.

For example this one:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-24v-Multifunction-Delay-Timing-on-off-Relay-Control-Module-30A-Switch-Timer-/192179077166

While the printer is on, the module is supplied from the printers 24v power supply. A signal on the trigger input can turn the relay off, also powering off the relay module.
So how do i turn the printer on?

The one idea i have would be to use a 220v capable pushbutton in parallel to the relay module. Push and hold until the relay powers up and activates. Then i can release, and the printer stays on.
Manual turning off would be another pushbutton wired to the trigger input, or just throwing the main switch on the powersupply as it is now.

Am i misunderstanding something here? Are there any modules available that auto start and stay on until triggered?
The linked one can only autostart with enabled timer if i understand the listing correctly.

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