I’ve recently started building my first build. It’ll be a Vanguard and the thread for it is coming soon. Parts are on the way
So I just got myself an Prusa i3 and I figured. Why not model my own enclosures… I have no vacuum setup and I dont want to mess with molding my enclosures…
Anyone here that printed his own enclosures ? What did you use ? PLA/ABS ? How is it going so far ? I’ve heard ABS cracks easily… There is also flex PLA filament I might try it.
I’ve been trying to get some enclosure models done. I’ll upload them here and you can make suggestions for improvement. I’ll also try to print them when theres time so you can see what the outcome is. I could make some adjustments to the size if you want to.
Here are my first trys at the battery enclosure for my Vanguard (split enclosures) this is able to fit 6s4p/24Cells.
ABS
It’s a strong plastic with mild flexibility. Its strength, flexibility, machinability and higher temperature resistance make it often a preferred choice for mechanical parts.
PLA
Also strong, and more rigid than ABS. Yes, it’s brittle. It has much lower melting temperature and that makes it ( for example ) unsuitable for keeping in a car during hot days as it can easily droop and deform.
TL;DR: use ABS for enclosers.
By the way, the best option you have is probably a nylon.
It combines the best of the both worlds
After the Busted Board replica I did a few years ago, I am now going for a (WAY most easy one) Evolve Mission Bustin. So I did this one. STL are of course available if someone is interested. 10SP3, 10SP4 will fit easily.
@IDVert3X thanks ! Thats very helpful I dont know yet if my Printer can handle nylon. I’ve not tried ABS yet since it requires some setup. I’l look into nylon !
@rwxr yea sure ! I’ll be giving out the stl files after finishing up the designs. The inner fillable space is 220x150x30. Wall thickness is set to 4mm. How did your pla enclosures hold up ?
@unikboards those are sweet ! Is that ABS ? Did you do refinements after printing ? Like aceton and stuff…
I’ll come up with a cool subtle logo which I can put on mine too
My printer does 210x200x200mm so I’ll have to split bigger enclosures in 2. Connecting them shouldnt be that hard.
Some of the cheap-ass chinese i3 clones ( which are far away from beign “clones” quality wise ) can do that as well, but most of them can’t. Nylon requires quite high temperatures ( 240C+ ).
@TranxFu: Thanks! I’ve not tried my enclosures in the wild because the weather doesn’t allow skating at the moment.
@SimosMCmuffin helped me split some enclosures from thingiverse and added a connection ledge in another thread.
The word on the street is that ABS can be joined using acetone, but since mine are PLA I haven’t tried it.
Ive printed a couple, used ABS as PLA is just to wonky and unpredictable. I have one set that was from MEB…
…Oril’s pic, not mine, I havent mounted mine yet.
I have another that I am using on my aluminum deck…
I really dig the 3D Printed way because it offers a lot more room to play with. And go for a more industrial design. I’d prefer sth. like this over rectangle boxes any time !
Heres a more developed enclosure I worked on today. It has an output for the battery cables and it is also slighty curved to fit the vanguard concave.
I think I’m done with my battery enclosure. I took some inspiration from the boosted board.
This is for a flex board and works in a split enclosure setup. This will fit 6s4p while the other will fit 4s4p + VESC, Electronics,… .
The top is flat so it will be easier to print on a 3 printer. I also split the model in 2 since it exceeds the general 200mm bed volume.
So I just got myself an Prusa i3 and I figured. Why not model my own enclosures… I have no vacuum setup and I dont want to mess with molding my enclosures…
not fine tuned yet.
I’ll probably go with PLA for the ease of use and reinforce it with carbon fiber or sth.
!
