This idea is hot – literally. Instructables member UglyBuddha created and posted a design for a Heated Build Chamber for his RapMan personal 3D printer. No, he doesn’t install a heated chamber into his RapMan. Instead he builds a heated chamber around the 3D printer!Wait a moment. Why would one require a heated build chamber for their 3D printer? It’s because one of the commonly used print materials, ABS plastic, has a very nasty habit. It expands when heated and shrinks when cooled. This means that ABS 3D prints, which are hot when initially extruded and cool shortly thereafter, are subject to warping. Sometimes the warping is quite dramatic and can doom your print attempt. The warping effect is much more pronounced on large objects, leading some manufacturers (such as Bits From Bytes) to advise 3D printer operators not to print any ABS objects larger than 100mm x 100mm.
By heating the print the warping could be reduced or even eliminated. That’s UglyBuddha’s goal.
This brilliant idea should be adaptable to most other personal 3D printers: if they fit inside, it will work. If it doesn’t, just make a bigger chamber.
The design is straightforward: plastic sheets providing the outer shell, with insulation keeping the heat inside. How hot should the chamber be kept? UglyBuddha suggests +95F (+35C) to avoid the dreaded ABS warping phenomenon.
Via Instructables
