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Where to put your 3d printer


Where Should You Place Your 3D Printer In Your Home?

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As hobby 3D printing has become more popular, we also find more people placing 3D printers somewhere in their house. This situation begs the question – how safe it is to place a 3D printer in a room in your house? What factors should you consider?

A 3D printer should be placed in a room with good ventilation, away from flammable material, and is not accessible to kids and pets. There are also other minor factors to consider. With this in mind, it would be best to place a 3D printer in an isolated workshop, typically a garage, laundry room, or hobby room.

In most cases, you will still need to do some retrofitting to make a space in your house suitable for 3D printing. To help you prepare your space, check out our list of factors you may overlook and our guide on what a suitable space should have.

Factors to consider in setting up a 3D printer

Modern 3D printers are wonderfully compact. While this has been a great selling point for inexpensive 3D printers, some people may end up underestimated just how much physical space a 3D printing hobby can occupy. Here are some factors to anticipate when setting up a 3D printer

Fumes

When plastic is exposed to heat, it will almost always release some fumes. Some of these fumes may be irritating, while others may be more benign (or even pleasant). However, you should always assume that inhaling such fumes is harmful to you.

There are two ways to address this problem. If you buy a 3D printer with an enclosure, it will probably have a vent provision with a HEPA filter. It should be relatively easy to connect a flexible accordion pipe to this vent and redirect it to an open window or a hole in the wall. Just make sure to check the status of the HEPA filter periodically.

The more common scenario involves a printer that does not have an enclosure. In this case, 3D printing will have to be done in a room with very good ventilation. An open door or a few open windows should do the trick.

Noise

Do you already have a preconceived notion in your head of how noisy a 3D printer is? In reality, a 3D printer is probably going to be even noisier than that. Considering how large 3D printing jobs can take 12 hours or more to finish, placing a 3D printer in a room where peace and quiet are needed is going to be a very bad move.

For this reason, we do not recommend placing a 3D printer in your bedroom, living room, or any space in your house where people normally stay in for long periods.

Storage space

That 3D printer may seem small, but don’t forget that you will also be buying spools of filaments, bottles of resin, plus an array of different tools and supplies. This will inevitably take up much more space than the 3D printer itself. If you don’t plan ahead for storage space, you will almost certainly end up with 3D printing supplies encroaching into your living space.

Mess

There’s no way around it – 3D printing is a hobby that can create a lot of mess. Whether it’s empty filament spools, empty resin bottles, plastic dust, removed supports or rejected prints, you will inevitably accumulate scrap materials whenever you work on a 3D printed project.

Keeping your 3D printer in an isolated room helps keep the mess contained in one place. As much as we love 3D printing, we would not want to find 3D printing scraps all over the house.

Other hazards

3D printing has a slew of other hazards depending on the type of 3D printer you are using. FDM printers generate a lot of heat and must be kept away from flammable materials. Resin printers are inherently dangerous because they use photopolymer resin – a toxic compound in its uncured state.

These hazards highlight the importance of restricting access to a 3D printing workshop, especially for households that have kids or pets. You will not want to rush to the emergency room just because you left your 3D printer unattended.

Tips on setting up your 3D printer

The garage is the best option

If you have enough space in your garage, then it would probably be the best place to set up a 3D printer. Not only does a garage typically have lots of space for your tools and supplies, but it’s easy to provide ventilation by opening some windows or the garage door itself.

Another advantage of using the garage is that it’s typically detached from the rest of the living space. This means that you and your family won’t be bothered by the noise and unpleasant fumes from the 3D printer while it is running.

A home office, laundry room, or basement can also work

If a garage is not an option, then some other rooms inside the house can be considered. A home office or laundry room can be viable since these are not areas of the house where people stay for long periods. You can set up a 3D printing job and step out of the room while it runs.

The basement is another good option if you have enough space. It’s isolated enough from the house that you probably won’t hear any noise from the 3D printer. Just make sure that you don’t have flammable materials stored in the basement. Another potential problem is that most basements have poor ventilation.

Consider placing fans

Not all rooms in your house may have enough ventilation to ensure a continuous flow of fresh air. If this is the case, an easy solution would be to set up fans in your windows.

Nowadays, it’s easy to buy windows that can fit most standard-sized fans. This window fan by Bionaire is designed for reversible airflow, so you can use it as either an air inlet or an exhaust.

Set up a monitoring camera

A common piece of advice is that people should not be lingering in the same room as a 3D printer while it is running. This lessens the risk of inhaling toxic fumes or plastic micro-particles. However, we also understand that watching a model as it is being built is an essential part of the 3D printing experience.

A good middle-ground remedy is to set up a wireless camera so that you can monitor it remotely. An inexpensive security camera, such as a Blink Mini, should work. With a remote camera, you can keep an eye on your 3D printing project even while it is in an isolated location as you go about your day.

Limit access to your workspace

An important reason for isolating your 3D printer is making sure that kids and pets can’t just go near it without your supervision. This is easier to do in detached workshops but should still be implemented for basements or home offices. If you have kids walking around the house, just make sure to lock the door behind you.

This does not mean that you should not involve your kids in your 3D printing hobby. In fact, it’s probably better for them to watch you work with your 3D printer. Safety should be one of the more important lessons, and part of this is knowing that they should not touch the 3D printer without your supervision.

These tips only consider safety and practicality when choosing a spot for your 3D printer. Other factors may affect the quality of your output or supplies. If you print with filaments, it would be better to place your workshop in a room with low humidity. If you print with resin, make sure that your workspace is not under direct sunlight.

A lot of these tips may seem obvious to anyone who has had substantial experience with 3D printing. For those who are just starting out, doing a healthy bit of research before committing to a space can save you lots of headaches down the road.

Final thoughts

3D printing is an amazing hobby, but it should not be taking over the rest of your life. When choosing a spot for your 3D printer in your home, make sure to place it in a room that is isolated and will not interfere with your normal living conditions.

If you plan on taking this hobby seriously, then you will likely end up building an entire workshop for your equipment and supplies. This is something you can plan ahead for.

Warning; 3D printers should never be left unattended. They can pose a firesafety hazard.

Where To and Not To Place A 3D Printer In Homes And Schools? Potential Risks! – 3D Print Schooling

Once buying a 3D printer for home, work, or school, the thought of where to store and keep it is often overlooked. Storage of your 3D printer and its components is just as important as the 3D printing process itself. After all, it determines the functionality of the printer and the safety of operating it.

With that said, how and where should you store your 3D printer at school and home? 3D printers used for educational or personal use are different from the ones used for industrial manufacturing. So, we will be looking at the storage of FDM printers.

A 3D printer at home is best kept enclosed in the garage, basement, empty closet, or home office. At school, 3d printer is better kept in special 3D printing labs or in a classroom closet. This is required from a safety perspective and to preserve the life span of the printer and printing quality.

For long-term usage, FDM printers are better stored in special workstation cabinets. They should be cleaned regularly when unused for long periods to prevent dust collection. For short-term usage

3D Printing Is Here To Stay

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We also recommend that you check our post “How Long Can a 3D Printer Run? Fire Risk and What to Do About It!“

What’s covered?

  • Where Not to Store 3D Printers at Home or School?
  • How to Store 3D Printers at Homes or Schools?
  • Why Should You Keep Your 3D Printer in an Enclosure?
  • 3D Printer Storage Cases
  • Related Questions
    • How to maintain and clean your 3D printer?
    • What are the safety recommendations for using 3D printers in school?
    • How to store filament spools?
  • Conclusion

Where Not to Store 3D Printers at Home or School?

It is normal to wonder if you can keep your 3D printer in a designated corner of your bedroom since you would be able to keep an eye on it at all times.

However, your bedroom is not the ideal space for your FDM printer (source).

Instead, you should place your FDM printer in your home office, basement, workshop, garage, studio or empty closet space. Your 3D printer can be placed in a room, so long as it is not occupied by anyone during printing. It needs to have proper ventilation in about four-square feet of space.

What about in a school? Should you keep a 3D printer in the classroom or somewhere else? Well, the ideal place for it at school would be a 3D printing lab. Where all 3D printers are in a controlled environment, whether being used currently or not.

As for putting it in a classroom, it would be better to place an FDM printer there only when it is being used.

Otherwise, it can be dangerous to leave it around in the open since teachers and children would make use of the room almost daily.

3D printers for specific classrooms can be stored short-term in the classroom closet space, but only if the area is cleared. And if there are no obstructions surrounding the printer such as clothes, paintings, bags, school supplies etc.

If you do not have any current projects that you are working on or you do not have a use for your 3D printer until in the future, your 3D printer can remain in its enclosure for the long term.

You could also stow it away in a special workstation cabinet with shelves, such as the cabinet for the printer on Thingiverse, which can hold the filament spools and the power supply.

As an added measure, you should never place your 3D printer on the floor for the potential of bumping into it and knocking it over.

Also Noise is one main issue with 3d printers. Check out How To Reduce 3D Printers Noise Hacks! Best Sound Absorbing Filament

How to Store 3D Printers at Homes or Schools?The Original Prusa i3 MK3 Ikea Lack Enclosure

A 3D printer can become clogged if left dormant for months without any maintenance and cleaning. This could cause print heads and nozzles to collect dust.

So, it is important to clean it weekly or bi-weekly to ensure no dust clogs up the printer parts.

The most common way to store 3D printers is by keeping them in a sealed enclosure. With ventilation and a smoke detector, and placing them in designated closet space for future use.

As an article by All3DP, 3D Printer Enclosure: 6 Cheap & Easy Solutions suggests, these enclosures can be made from a cardboard box, a photo studio tent, Tupperware, old cabinets, the popular Ikea Lack table, or a purpose-built enclosure.

The “Creality Fireproof and Dustproof 3D Printer Warm Enclosure” is a popular and recommended ready-made option (Amazon Link)

Check it out (Amazon Link)

For extra safety, you may want to opt to add a smoke detector to the enclosure. It cost only from 20 to 50$ USD but will buy you a great deal of peace of mind. Check out the “First Alert” (Amazon Link) Powered Alarm SCO5CN which detects both, Smoke and Carbon Monoxide and it is Battery Operated

Check it out (Amazon Link)

When you are not going to use your printer for a long time, you should make sure that the filament is not left in the extruder for a prolonged period of time. As leaving it in and not cleaning it out may lead to it clogging up.

Keep your printing filaments stored in sealed boxes. If not, the filament can absorb the moisture in the air which can greatly reduce the print quality. Particularly with filaments such as Nylon and PLA. The same can happen with your printed items if kept out on a humid day.

Why Should You Keep Your 3D Printer in an Enclosure?

There are many advantages to putting your 3D printer in an enclosure. For starters, it is important to consider the surrounding environment as FDM printers are sensitive to changing temperatures.

So, keeping an FDM printer in an enclosed metal or glass box regulates the temperature for printing. Keeping it in an enclosure also prevents the printed item from warping and cracking, which is caused by irregular temperature.

The risk of poor storage or not enclosing your 3D printers at all involves the inhalation of any toxic emission extruded from the melted filament. Keeping the printer away in a box and in a separate room, preferably, will reduce the toxic fumes and the unpleasant smell.

For more information on harmful 3D printer fumes and safety tips, check out our article: Is 3D Printing Poisonous? What you need to know!

Since children can be unpredictable, you can never tell when one will suddenly put their hand inside the printer, or touch the hot nozzle, or interfere with the printing process, or use it without guidance, etc. A well-stored 3D printer will prevent such accidents from happening in a school.

Lastly, the storage box for the printer can also help in reducing some noise, prevent dust from collecting on the printer which can lead to getting the printer nozzle clogged, which can be troublesome to clean and replace.

3D Printer Storage CasesA Cheap, Plastic Setup for a 3D Printer Enclosure
  • PVC and Plastic Enclosure – For a cheap cost and a quick setup, you can make this case with PVC, a plastic cover, and some 3D printed parts. Since it does not have proper ventilation and thermal insulation, this may only be used for storage and not for printing in it.
  • DIY Metal Enclosure – Jay Doscher reveals his impressive design for a 3D printer enclosure, made with aluminum side panels. If you need to modify and adapt the design for your printer, the design specifics are easily available.
  • DIY Smart 3D Printer Enclosure files – For around $12, you can download digital enclosure files. With specific dimensions and design, there is still room for creative modifications you can make according to your interests. Perfect for home projects.
  • Enclosure for The Snapmaker 3-in-1 – This pre-made enclosure costs around $232. It is a little expensive but perfectly tailored for the Snapmaker 3D printer, made with aluminum alloys and sturdy acrylic.
  • box3d 500 – Though expensive, falling around $540, this enclosure has thermal insulation. It can fit printers such as the Ultimaker 2, Lulzbot Mini, Original Prusa MK2, and others. You can include HEPA and carbon filters for an additional price of around $58.

How to maintain and clean your 3D printer?

According to an All3DP printer maintenance article, you should have a basic toolkit on hand, and clean the nozzle frequently with a wire brush when the printer is turned off. You need to also thoroughly clean fans and electric boards to prevent dust, especially when the printer is put off as storage and is not used often.

What are the safety recommendations for using 3D printers in school?

Enclosed printers are the top priority, just as they are for storage. To prevent children from touching the hot extruders, you can install printers such as the Afinia H800 and Up Box. These printers automatically stop printing when the doors are opened, decreasing the risks of accidents.

How to store filament spools?

Along with the 3D printer, it is vital to store your filaments in a sealed box. Such as a gasket box, vacuum bags, and storage boxes with sealed lids. Absorb any remaining moisture inside the boxes with a cheap renewable dehumidifier. Silica gel desiccants packets are also great for absorbing moisture.

Conclusion

For storing long-term and short-term, make sure to regularly clean the 3D printer even if it is left unused for months. This clears out any dust collecting in the printer parts.

The printer enclosure is a must since it helps you with thermal insulation and warping. But it also helps with storage since it gives a protective layer and prevents dust from settling in and on the printer.

For where to keep it, you can place your 3D printer somewhere where there are not many people frequenting in schools, such as in an empty classroom closet if there is no special 3D printing lab. At homes, you can keep your printer in a separate, clean room or in the basement or home office.

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