How to ventilate a H2D which is inside a closed cabinet?

Bambu Lab H2D
1

I have put my H2D inside a close cabinet to reduce the noise because i sleep and work next to it. I manage to reduce the noise by 10 dB which is great. But now i have problems with the printer overheating. I would like to create a ventilation for the cabinet. I hesitate between 2 options :

  • Adding a hole above the cabinet with a Noctua fan leading the hot air from around the printer to the outside of the cabinet.
  • Adding a hole above the cabinet and using the ventilation duct to directly connect the H2D rear exhaust fan to the hole (and maybe adding the Noctua fan in the hole if that could help).
    What do you think is the better solution? Do you see another one even better?
2

To be frank:
Keeping a 3D printer in your bedroom isn’t ideal from a noise perspective. Even with an enclosure, you’ll need both an exhaust fan to remove warm air and an intake fan to supply fresh, cool air—especially when printing with PLA or other low-temperature filaments. Both of these fans generate noise, and in the end, the sound level may not improve at all. It’s likely to become a zero-sum situation.

In that case, the printer would actually perform better without being enclosed. You’d also avoid adding extra components that consume power without giving you any real benefit in return.

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3

I’s not in my bedroom but in my office which is not far from my bedroom. I have no better place in my small appartment so i do what i can.
My cabinet is not completely air sealed, air can enter from between the doors. Is the intake air really useful? If i use just the ventilation duct, there is no fan added so not more noise generated but i don’t know if that would be enough.

4

I would honestly try to noise dampen the office itself instead of the printer, in your situation. Close the door to the office, put some towels down to block the noise. Maybe get some sound dampening foam pads for the walls.

I’d be afraid of a fire hazard from an overheated printer and wouldn’t risk enclosing the enclosure further with just ducts and fans.

Good luck.

5

My printer is in my home office which is close to my bedroom. When it’s running I close my office door and I can’t hear it from the bedroom.

As for the cabinet, I also initially wanted to put it in the cabinet but it didnt fit. So I built a 55x55cm table for it and put it next to my desk.

IMG_2807

Note about the table: I have put 32KG of concrete on the legs/base of the table to prevent it from shaking.

6

I’m thinking of adding ventilation grilles to the enclosure doors — similar to the kind used in bathroom or toilet doors — to allow for passive airflow.

At the back of the enclosure, I’d definitely install an axial fan, although I know it will add some noise. Still, proper air exchange is necessary, and the best way to achieve that is with an axial fan, like the ones used in kitchen exhaust hoods.

7

Please double-check your calculations carefully—then verify them once more. Prioritizing lower noise levels shouldn’t come at the risk of a potential fire hazard. Print safe, have fun!

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8

The simple solution is to understand you are using your printer in space that is not realistic!
Another apartment room setup.

9

Extract the hot air from the top and make sure it can pull cool air in down low. Keep the cabinet enclosure under 30°c and it’ll be fine. I’ll suggest an ac infinity 4” fan. They’re super quiet and move a decent amount of air. This is the one I have. https://a.co/d/bJGIIBT you can even monitor the temp with it and set it to make sure the temp in the cabinet doesn’t climb above 30°c.

Best bet would be to run a hose from the hot air extraction to outside. Then you have zero exposure to any fumes.