I was going to call it a "cheapskate" enclosure, but realized that a true cheapskate would just use a cardboard box (although then you can't see what's happening). Instead, it's a "quick-n'-easy" enclosure, made from a few shelving units and a vinyl tablecloth. See the video above.

Why an Enclosure?

It's winter here, and the 3D printer starts jamming when the temperature goes below about 18°C (approx. 64°F). Plus, the ambient air temperature affects the quality and strength of the print. Heating the entire room is rather wasteful, so I decided to build an enclosure.

Quick 'n Easy?

Hey, it's two shelving units bolted together wrapped in a vinyl table cloth that's attached with duct tape. You can buy the parts and put it together in an afternoon. Sure, it doesn't look elegant, but it works. I could have designed a professional looking enclosure with acrylic walls, but that would have taken much longer and cost a lot more too. I'd rather spend that time (and money) using the printer.

How do You Heat it?

Ah, heating. That proved to be harder than expected. Sticking a 2.4KW heater in a small space like this is asking for trouble, and low wattage heaters are hard to come by (at least in New Zealand). I'll tell that story in a future blog post/video, when I have everything set up.

EDIT: Click here for details on my low-cost enclosure heating system.