DIY 3D Printer Enclosure: 10 Cheap & Easy Solutions

3D printer enclosure isn’t necessarily a must-have in your 3D printing workshop, but having one can improve your printing results. There are many advantages that come along with having a 3D printing enclosure, such as allowing to better control the temperature in the printing environment, thus reducing warping.

Additionally, having an enclosure protects both the users and the printers. For users, it reduces noise and can control exposure to gases that cause odors, and for the printer, it limits its contact with exterior elements like dust, which can deteriorate both the machine and models.

In this article, we’ll look at our top picks for DIY 3D printer enclosures, so that you can find the one that best fits your needs to help you create perfect prints.

Considerations

3D printer enclosures aren’t always accessible, so we’ve selected the best DIY enclosures or items that you can repurpose for that goal. To do so, we’ve taken into account the following:

• Accessibility: Whether it’s a DIY enclosure or a repurposed one, the design should be such that it doesn’t obstruct access to the printer. With this in mind, enclosures that have to be completely removed to access the printer weren’t included.
• Safety: All enclosures selected use materials or are designed to take into account that the printer will be reaching high temperatures and as such shouldn’t represent a fire hazard (although special care should be taken when noted).
• Price: As the purpose of the article is to provide affordable alternatives for enclosures, the sets provided have to be cheap or the materials for the DIY options have to be less costly than commercial enclosures.
• Optional considerations: Additionally, some enclosures may have attractive features like lighting for better visibility, temperature sensing, a camera, or other factors that might make them preferable.

With these aspects in mind, let’s look at our top picks for DIY 3D printer enclosures!

READYMADE

Photography Tent

The point of an enclosure is to keep your 3D printer isolated, protecting it from dust, while also keeping the temperature inside constant. A photography tent is an inexpensive and effective way to do both.

They’re typically white and made of flexible synthetic material, which in the context of photography acts as a light diffuser so that objects inside can be more evenly illuminated. One added bonus is that you’ll be able to get amazing shots of your printer at work!

Be aware, however, that the material typically used to make these tents is highly flammable, so to be safe, don’t choose sizes that make it a tight fit. A little “breathing room” is helpful for accessing your printer, anyway.

• Cost: ~$40
• Complexity: Easy

Creality Enclosure

3D printer enclosures, especially those designed to fit a specific printer, can get really pricey, but we can always count on Creality to provide accessible options. True to form, they sell an affordable enclosure that’s easily portable and safe thanks to its flame-retardant material. It opens from all sides for easy access and can fit a Creality CR-10, Ender 3, or Ender 5.

This is an ideal option if your printer fits inside and you want a quick, afforable solution that doesn’t require hours of work.

• Cost: ~$65
• Complexity: Easy

Ikea Lack

The Ikea Lack table is one of the most popular DIY enclosure options, probably because it’s accessible, looks neat, and goes in tandem with the design of the printer. It’s often used to fit a Prusa i3 MK3S but will fit many different printers – you just might need to increase the height if your printer is quite tall.

The concept is straightforward: You buy two (or even three) Ikea Lack tables and stack them on top of each other to make a 3D printer stand. You can add plexiglass doors to seal the enclosure while maintaining easy access, and it’s easy to add filament guides and other accessories.

People have made 3D printed parts to avoid drilling into the tables themselves and to easily assemble and disassemble the system. An important aspect to consider is that putting the filament on top requires some way for it to get inside, so make sure that the design you choose accounts for the filament’s easy movement.

• Cost: ~$70
• Complexity: Intermediate
• Core components: Ikea Lack tables, plexiglass, 3D printed parts
• Who designed it? cisardom, florentiusbohn, and many others
• Where to find it? Thingiverse

Storage Boxes

This is an option that’s easy to make and that’s adaptable to many sizes. It requires a bit of DIYing, but not that much: You only need some plastic boxes stacked together and you’re all set. Since they’re transparent, they won’t get in the way of checking the state of the print, and you can organize them and stack them in the way that’s most comfortable to you, so you can access your printer.

There are many ways you could go about this, but for starters, we recommend following this Instructables tutorial using Ikea plastic boxes. According to the creator, the boxes will cost you about $30 to $40. You’ll just need to cut a few holes and slits to accommodate the printer and its cables.

Due to the high temperatures that may be reached and because not all plastic boxes may have flame-retardant properties, it’s best if the enclosure isn’t a tight fit.

• Cost: ~$40
• Complexity: Easy
• Core components: Tupperware boxes, cutting tools
• Who designed it? rjacobsson
• Where to find it? Instructables

DIY PROJECTS

PVC Foam