Can I put my 3d printer in the garage? The simple answer is yes but, there are so many RISKY factors you need to consider.
Keeping a 3d printer in the garage requires in-depth knowledge of some qualitative factors. In this article, we will discuss those factors step by step.
3d Printing Room | The essential factors
The 3d printing room or the 3d printers’ room needs some essential things. First of all, there is a need for a strong power supply. Almost every high-quality 3D printers require a stable power supply.
Usually, the printers require a power supply of 220 volts, with 50/60 hz. The voltage might vary by plus or minus 15% but more than that. So, you need to make sure that either the garage or any other room must assure the power supply to the hot end.
Secondly, the printing place must be able to have an active cooling feature.
For instance, during a hot summer season, 3d printers in the garage often fail to cool down for not having an active cooling facility.
Moreover, being incapable of cooling down may result in poor 3d prints. Here are some other tips for 3d printer noise reduction.
Finally, there should be active safety features. For example, let’s imagine the 3d printing place does not have necessary safety features. What happens when there is a thermal runway?
It is always recommended to ensure the required safety features as per the 3d printer manufacturer.
You should read the brochure as well as the internet resources for keeping a 3d printer in the garage.
Consider these before placing 3d printer in the garage
The first thing I would mention here is to ensure the maintenance facility in the garage. Often the 3d printer and other equipment will require special maintenance so this is a must.
Ambient temperature
3d printers always require the ambient temperature to work smoothly.
If the weather / the garage temperature is too hot or too cold then the printing quality will be bad.
In fact, in extremely cold weather the good 3d printers shut down as an extra safety precaution.
Usually, the minimum temperature for the extrusion type 3d printer is 50°F (10 °C). But, the filament cannot produce high-quality 3d prints at such extremely cold temperatures.
PLA filament can give you quality 3d print at as low as 59 °F (15 °C).
However, HIPS, PETG, and ABS will require least likely 77°F (25 °C) or higher to produce a good quality print.
Lastly, no rd printers can produce prints higher than 104°F (40 °C) temperature.
Filament
Furthermore, we will suggest you avoid keeping the 3d printing material in the garage. For instance, filaments or liquid resin may lose their quality due to humidity or any other environmental factor.
Improperly kept filaments will always make your 3d prints bad.
We always suggest keeping liquid filaments and resins in a cool, dry, and UV-free place.
Also, the garage needs to have good quality air. Not every 3d printers come with a top-notch air filter, so it’s the users’ responsibility to ensure a good air source.
Also, make sure to assess how much physical space you will be needed tomorrow. There should be necessary arrangements for workstation and other related tasks.
Other things to consider
if you are planning to spend a lot of time in 3d printing activities, we strongly suggest you avoid the garage as a 3d printer’s place. The reason is, that there’s a chance that you will be losing mental fitness for sitting somewhere without ambient sunlight and amusement.
Make sure to have an insect inspection. There should not be anything like rats, cockroaches, or other similar insepcts.
We also discourage you to put a 3d printer in the garage if there’s a gas cylinder or any parked vehicle.
You should not take any chance of fire explusion affecting other valuable assets of yours.
Naturally, placing a 3d printer in a garage is not so different than keeping it somewhere else. However, it is always advisable to ensure quality checks before doing that.
As per our best knowledge, the major problem you will encounter is the variation in filament quality.
If you can store the filament in a place as advised by the manufacturer then the printer will just work fine in the garage.
If your 3d printer is with the enclosure make sure that the enclosure is fire resistant. Learn more about how to make 3d prints waterproof.
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