I am in the process of clearing out some space for the P2S that I hope to eventually buy. I have 2 or 3 spots that I could put it and after taking some measurements the one area would have the printer hang over the shelve a good 1” not ideal. The other area would be by a window that would be good for venting but not sure if the sun shining on it would be ideal, it is a basement window so it wouldn’t be for very long and I could put a tint film on it. The other area would take a lot of rearrangement and modifying of shelves and workbench’s.
Wonder if people would be willing to share their set ups or there printer area?
Take care with printers placed right next to windows. There have been some negative experiences with this in this forum. Fortunately, the P2S comes with a housing.
Windows are often not as airtight as you think, which can cause problems in winter. In summer, it’s the sun that causes the problem due to the heat. Your idea with the film is a good one. Hold a lighter in front of the window to check if it is sealed, too. Out of all the options you’ve listed, this one is likely the best because it’s usually simpler to get a film and seal the window.
Have you calculated based on the printer’s footprint or considered the extra solace needed at the back for data cables, buffer, PTFE tubes, poop outlet or power cable?
They also have fan outlets, have you made sure to allow space for those?
Is the basement sealed and moisture/humidity controlled?
It worth the effort. I would NEVER recommend putting a printer in unstable surfaces (rack) or next to windows. I have had a printer next to a window and the prints would warp because of the air currents and because of the lower temperatures in winter and higher in summer. (Since windows are never 100% airtight as @RetroSharky said.
I would recommend against having it near a window if you live in extreme temperatures [cold or hot]. “By a window” can mean a lot of things, but in general if its going to receive sunlight [uneven uncontrollable heating - plus UV minor concern] or is close enough to the window to receive drafts, its not ideal. PLA is very tolerant of wide ranges of thermal conditions while printing, but the rest of the roster of plastics fail in discrete and mysterious ways to uneven heat.
All good feed back and I never really thought about the draft.
I did calculate the foot print and factored in the AMS unit sitting beside the printer.
The Printer would be below the actual window not right in front of it. My thinking was by the window would allow me to make a vent system directly out the window if / when i print ABS for example.
I am in Canada where the winters or cold and the summers are hot and in the basement I run a dehumidifier in the summer.
If I get around to it I will try and post a picture of the area.
Keep in mind you can purchase 4” dryer hose and run it around the corner near the floor joists using hangers you can print. Between the printer and the window you can mount a inline fan to help push it out. The printer doesn’t need to be near the window to vent it.
Depending on what supplies you have available, and how you are using your printer, there are many solutions. If your printers are open air, or you are using print farm modifications, I recommend you listen to the advice above. Personally, I have my printer on a large wooden drawer. It is sturdy, but light, which means it moves quite a lot when printing. However, the printer calibrates itself to this motion to continuously bring you the best prints. I have my printer in an area that gets a lot of use, and airflow, whether that be cold are warm. Oddly enough, this does not effect my print quality… and I have had both open and enclosed printers in this area.
I hope this helps, let me know if you need more help! Cheers!
Also consider, that you will occasionally have to access the back of the printer. You should have enough space to allow pulling it slightly out and turning it 90°. Those printers are surprisingly heavy! When they are also connected to the AMS and mains , no way that you just lift it away.
And I would also factor in a simple spool holder for material that does not work in the AMS or if you don’t want to open it for a short change of material, because you have brought down humidity with dessicant and don’t want to let in fresh moisture.
One more great addon would be a poop chute, that guides the poop to the side of the printer into a bucket, that you can access from the front.
My setup has to live in a IKEA PAX wardrobe that that is 1m wide. There I have a AMS-HT for drying and as extra spool holder. behind it is the bucket of the poop chute. then comes the printer and then two stacked AMS 2 pro. That really is super crammed. I have a reinforced board on heavy duty rails, so that I can pull it out completely. But it is still a chore when I have to do something at the back of the printer.
Of course having it inside a wardrobe makes it extra difficult to access, so please just take my example as a worst case. But even on an open surface, I would see 1m x 50cm as the absolute minimum for a setup with AMS on the side.
my X1c is on a metal rack, stuck under a basement window
my choice was very limited, so I 've bolted the metal rack to the wall, and redone the window peripheral insulation : no wind I can feel, but the temp goes quite low in winter.
dimensions are 120cmx60cm (50cm would be enough) and height is about 5 cm more than the printer
only positive is I’ve got access from the left side, and can lift the upper shelf when I need to reach through the top of the printer
available space. And I find it easier to reach everything: With AMS stacked on top of the printer, I either have to stretch to the AMS or bow down to the printer.
I have tried to optimise space usage as much as possible:
The rack is 60cm deep, and the mobile shelf stand is screwed about in the middle (I’ll get more accurate measurements)
The idea is to keep some room at te back to be able to stack the power supply , and reach easily in the lower AMS
When the mobile shefl is pulled, the upper AMS is further than the shelf itself : I’ll try and get better pictures in the open position
Heat coming off the printed depends which material you use : I mostly print PETG, so keep the enclosure open, to keep the internal temp around 25°C
I can feel hotter air leaving the top of the printer, but my shelf is open, so no problem for me
It would be different if the printer was totally enclosed
That kind of setup would be a potential problem for a H2 printer. The front/top of the enclosure has a vent that opens for cooling. The vent hinges on the front edge, so the opening points towards the back of the printer. The back of the printer is where the exhaust fan is. So in an enclosed space like shown, some of the hot air being exhausted at the back of the machine will end up getting sucked in through the vent.
Don’t know if the P2S has a similar arrangement. If it does, I wouldn’t go that route.
You want the most-consistent ambient temperature for your printer because ambient conditions can effect print quality. That’s the reason you don’t want the printer near a window, sunlight makes it hotter, colder air makes it cooler, temperature will fluctuate all the time, perhaps significantly. It’ll be a tuning nightmare.
even with a smaller printer (X1c) and an open rack, I’ve measurered several °C temp increase in the surroundings of the printer, especially when printing PETG (temp plate about 70°C, temp in the printer raising from 25 to 30°C)
some heat management is needed in a constrained area , minimum being hot air exit from the direct surroundings
Sorry it took so long. This is what I was thinking for printer placement.
I would cut the top shelf where the black mark is so its just a smaller length and this leaves lots of room for the printer width and height. The window I would use a UV film on and I could us it for venting as well. If this placement is problematic I would have to really look into modifying a different area.
