Project: Custom Printer - Part 2 - Portholes and Hatches.
On most FDM printers, the electronics compartment is situated below the printer, and you may be aware this can become very frustrating when trying to perform maintenance or any quick fix, the bigger the printer, the more annoying this problem becomes. I'm relocating the bulk of the electronics and wiring to the side and using an access hatch more commonly used for Rv, campervans, and boats alike.
After using the original electronics compartment cover and slicing in half with an Angle Grinder, then drilling 2 new holes to attach with, I marked the outline of the vent on the inside of the access hatch then making a new mark, giving an offset of around -10mm. Before cutting the rectangular shape into the hatch, I first needed to remove any structural supports that give the hatch rigidity. But, unfortunately, are also in the way of the new vent. I'm considering cutting away some more of the reinforcement on the hatch to allow more space for the power supply and electronics, but until I've modelled everything, I'd rather not. 😅
Along with the Hatch, I also brought x2 portholes that are used for boats. 😂 This doesn't contribute anything to the machine really. I just thought they looked cool, kinda Sci-fi. 😆 (This printer will have a theme)
They shouldn't negatively affect the performance of the machine in any way, as they're made for boats, the seals on the windows seem really robust, and the unit in general is pretty strong.
Spending a few hours in the evening to measure and model the hatches, I believe they're probably 1mm -/+ tolerance from the real things and also give me perfect reference to model around.
Both the CAD file and the real thing are on different stages of completion, the real life thing at the moment is further along as I'm using a lot of the parts as reference to model from. I'm hoping to change that soon as my next goal is to model all the brackets, clamps, belts, tensioners, bolts, etc. Basically, get the CAD file to the same stage, if not further than it is in real life now.
