3D Printer Heat Enclosure: Fix Warping on 3D Prints

Everybody who's ever had a 3D printer has at one point or another ran into the problem of warping. Prints that take hours end up being ruined because the base peeled away from the bed. This issue can be frustrating and time consuming. So what causes it? Well, warping is cause when upper layers of plastic cool while bottom ones are warmer, leading to the top of the print contracting and pulling the edges of the object up off of the print bed. To solve this problem, one can build an enclosure to trap heat around the print.

Step 1: Materials

For this project you will need:

Box or Large Enclosure - this will house the components and surround the printer

Arduino Uno - this is what will control the device

Breadboard - this is how you will wire up the components

Jumper Wires - these will be used to wire things up on the breadboard

Hot Glue/Glue Gun - the glue will be used to hold things in place

DPDT Switch - these switches will be used to turn the device on and off as well as change the display

16 Pin LCD Display - this will be used to display the temp and humidity of the air

DTH11 Temperature and Humidity Sensor - this will read the temp and humidity inside the box

Battery Pack - unless you want to route a power cable into the box, use a battery pack whether 9v or AA to power the arduino

10k Potentiometer - this is used for the Liquid Crystal Display

Step 2: Code

Download and run this code on your Arduino Uno to take care of the programming portion of this project.

NOTICE: YOU MUST INSTALL THE "DHT.h" AND "LiquidCrystal.h" LIBRARIES FIRST!!!

Step 3: Wiring

Using the breadboard and jumper wires, wire up everything to the breadboard as shown. You may want to use longer wires for the temperature sensor so that you can route it to a convenient place in the box (I moved mine lower down.

Step 4: Final Assembly

Find an area in your enclosure to place all of the components. For example, in my box, I bent part of the top to make a sort of shelf for the components to sit on. This can vary, just make sure that everything is secure. Cut holes in the top of the box for mounting the switches and LCD, then mount them with fasteners or hot glue. Place your temperature sensor in a place where it will get an accurate reading and then glue it in place. Once everything is secured in position and works properly, seal up the box and you're device is complete!