FormLabs resins operate best between the comfortable temperature range of 18 – 28°C (64 – 82°F). For many of us experiencing the chillier weather these days, our garage workshops can easily drop below those temperatures and cause our prints to fail. Rather than hunker down for the freeze and wait for the world outside to defrost, [MarkStrohbehn] has discovered a budget heating technique that heats the print chamber from the inside instead.
This trick comes in two parts. First, to bring the temperature up, [Mark] installed an egg incubator inside the chamber using a powerful magnet attached to the fixture containing the lead screw. Next, to maintain the warm temperature, he’s taped together an insulating jacket composed of several layers of off-the-shelf mylar emergency blankets. Finally, he’s managed to slip the egg incubator power cable cleanly under the FormLabs lid without triggering the open-lid sensor. This hack is staggeringly simple but effective at reducing the odds of failed prints through the cold weather. Best of all, the modifications are far less invasive than other upgrades made to 3D printers, as it requires no modification of the Form1+. For those of us who haven’t seen the sun in a few months, rest assured that you can still churn out parts.
@Joshua thanks for using celsius and fahrenheit
I second this! as long as the people in different parts of the world cannot agree to use a singular measurement (personal pref. Celcius), show both.
slighty more ontopic:
This shows you still need some creative problem solving in 3d printing even when using commercial 3d printers. For my up! i build a box out of a large container for both the abs fumes and a more constant temparature. For my form1+ i use a uv curing device used for curing fake nails.
…Or you practice the art of generalizing conversions based on a few known conversion points.
I dont need to know precisely what 55C converts to in Fahrenheit to know that I might want to consider better cooling for my server.
I dont have to know 60C=140F to know 55C is too high.
On some modern server chips, getting it down to 55C core at full load can be quite tricky. The rule of thumb I use is 70C at most under worst case conditions, though most modern chips can withstand more.
Hrmm, I bet a similar technique could be used to prevent the water cooling of a laser cutter from freezing and cracking the tube in a cold workshop. That would certainly solve my problem.