DELACK 3D Printer Enclosure Review: The Clear Choice
There are lots of FDM (filament-based) 3D printers on the market. Many of them don’t include, but may work better, inside an “enclosure”, a metal and/or plastic box that helps keep the temperature and humidity constant. An enclosure can also reduce noise, although today’s printers are generally quieter than ever. Perhaps most importantly, it will also keep dust off the printer’s bearings and reduce particulate matter escaping into the office or workshop. These benefits are discussed in more detail in this article from Alveo3D, who sell an enclosure ventilation system. There are many enclosures available, some commercial and some “open source” or do-it-yourself. Some of the common DIY solutions have long been those built on top (literally) of the widely-available Ikea “Lack” table. There have been many variations available, differing in height, attachments, and so on. Joseph Willis’ company 3DSourcerer had such an enclosure kit available, but decided they could do better in terms of affordability and flexibility, so they designed a new enclosure from scratch, using plexiglass all around. In homage to the previous Lack-based generation, they named it the DELACK Enclosure (since it removes the need for the Lack), but also kept the dimensions so it will fit perfectly on top of the Lack table if you have one! The main target market for the DELACK is owners of Prusa printers; they show using the enclosure with both the Original Prusa MK3/MK4 and Prusa Mini printers. It will certainly work with any similarly-sized FDM 3D printer, of course. At least one user in the Makes section of the Printables page built a height extender to work with a taller printer. The published size is 550mm x 486mm x 450mm (21.7" x 19.1" x 17.7"). If you’re critical for space, note that the bolt heads add about 1/4" on each side, and the inside will be smaller by 6mm (2 sides of 3mm plexiglass). In December 2023, I built this for my Original Prusa MK4 printer.
Our goal with the DELACK Enclosure is to make the enclosure so good, from a functional, customizable, and economic standpoint, that you won’t think twice about DELACKING.
To keep the price down to US$119 — about a third the price of their previous full kit enclosure — the DELACK kit only includes the plexiglass, the nuts and bolts, an LED light, a wrench, and a few hardware bits. The purchaser has to 3D print a couple of dozen pieces, more or fewer depending on what options you select. If you’re still using “sneakernet” to transfer files from a modern computer to your Prusa’s USB-A socket, they also include as a bonus, a USB thumb drive with both USB-A and USB-C connectors. Just Because.
The USB thumb drive intentionally arrives empty, because the files online can be updated as users provide feedback. You can download the 3d print model files from Prusa’s Printables.com. The Zip file if you select “Download all files” will include STL files for all the parts you need to print for the basic unit. These STL files should allow almost any 3D printer to make the parts needed to build the enclosure. You also get several “3MF” files which pack multiple parts together onto one print, saving time and effort.
As befits an open-source project aimed at makers, numerous DIY add-ons are available. The basic kit has a cut-out for a 120mm Noctua low-noise fan. The print file download includes a cover plate for this hole if you don’t want the fan at all. In case you do, though, the add-ons page lets you print a holder for a HEPA filter, or several exhaust tube fittings. As of this writing, there are also a bracket to mount various cameras for monitoring, a fire-alarm/smoke detector mount, a reinforcing bar for the top of the enclosure, a hygrometer faceplace to replace the DELACK nametag, and corner guards to cover the square corners, one of which doubles as top corner customizable tool holder. There’s a list of accessory prints on 3DSourcerer and a list of printable parts on Printables.com. The latter list includes third-party parts, and will grow as more 3D designers get their hands on this enclosure. This enclosure was designed to be moddable or “add-on friendly”. Indeed, I contributed the beta version of my tool holder for the Prusa Mk4. This provides a place to hang the pliers and wrenches that came with the printer and the print-bed scraper that is supposed to be one of the first things you print.
The DELACK kit includes an LED strip so you can see your print in the dark and, well, just because it looks cool. You do have to print the LED mounting kit, available as one of the “add on” packages. And this includes a part that replaces one of the standard parts, so again, read before starting. The other add-ons — the fan, the camera mounts — can be added retroactively without wasting any major parts.
Putting it all together
When you order the kit, that’s a good time to start printing the many small parts needed for assembly. You can print the standard parts in PLA, in any color you like. The LED bracket (see below) is recommended to be printed in PETG due to its slightly better heat resistance. There are already pictures of several “makes” on the Printables page above.
A big time and effort saver is the clear directions. There is both a PDF and an online version of the assembly instructions, which you are advised to read before beginning(!), as there are quite a few variations and alternatives. You don’t want to print both the left-facing hinges and the right-facing ones, for example! If you prefer a visual overview before or after reading the details, there’s a video showing how the kit goes together on Joseph Willis’ YouTube channel.
The kit is initially available from 3DSourcerer to ship within the USA, as well as through Amazon.com which was willing to ship it to me in Canada for a small shipping and customs/excise fee. I initially had trouble getting Amazon to accept my newly-replaced credit card, which is why this review was delayed. Eventually it arrived.
It takes several daytimes to print all the parts. Probably some enterprising maker will be selling the parts pre-printed on AliExpress by year end, since all the STL files are available for download. They shouldn’t be for sale, as the files are released under the “Creative Commons (4.0 International License) Attribution-NonCommercial” license, which forbids others from selling these parts. However, it’s well known that certain Asian countries have little respect for western intellectual property. But if buying the parts ready-made is your cup of tea, you might just as well order 3DSourcerer’s Universal Enclosure, which is slightly larger but comes as a full kit for US$299.99. Another option for Prusa MK3/4 printer owners is the the “official” enclosure direct from Prusa. This costs US$349 (sometimes cheaper if ordered with a printer), includes all the parts needed (but not the LED lights), and ships from Prusa’s factory in the Czech Republic so your shipping costs will depend on where you live. The very “similar” FYSETC “printer box” costs only about US$190, but you’d pay another $170 to ship it to North America, so why would you?
The DELACK plexiglass consists of 6 pieces, but not a complete cube: two of the six are the front panel with door cutout, and the door. This enclosure is bottomless, so if it weren’t for all the cables, you could just lift it off for maintenance. In fact, there’s even an add-on print consisting of two handles, so you can lift the unit off without fingerprinting the beautiful clear plexi. Or you can leave the top loose enough to lift off — just insert the bolts but don’t screw them in — and lift the printer out when you need to work on it.
Note that the Prusa and FYSETC units mentioned above are “stackable” for use in a print farm. The DELACK, being bottomless, can not be stacked vertically. You could (with a few longer bolts) join multiple units side by side, but you’d lose the “lift-off-ness”.
My Build
For my own DELACK, I built several options, including the LED light system, the corner guards, and the handles, and put all in place as part of the assembly.
The base assembly took about an hour or so. The biggest time sink turned out to be peeling the protective backing off both sides of the six plexiglass sheets! It’s hard to get them started: unlike the common screen protectors for phones/tablets, there is no pull tab to get started. Using a utility knife carefully, flat with the plexi and at 45 degrees to the corner, did the trick.
All the parts I’d printed aligned nicely with the holes in the plexiglass. The only mildly tricky part was the door; the vendor’s assembly video shows how to assemble it, but you may have to spend a few minutes adjusting the hinges so that the door operates without friction on the latches. The door is held closed by some tiny magnets, and they’re not marked with polarity, so you have to be careful when inserting them that you have attraction, not repulsion!
For the handles, the docs claim that the existing bolts will work, but I was only able to use these on one side; on the other I wound up using some longer ones.
I printed the LED insert parts for the LED strip that’s included. When I started I hadn’t read carefully that it’s incompatible with the top reinforcement bar. I plan someday to get Prusa’s Multi-Material Unit or MMU (assuming Prusa releases it for the MK4 printer before the heat death of the universe). This Prusa-specific multi-color attachment lets you print in up to five colors. So with fresh reels, that’s 5 kilograms of weight. The plexiglass top would certainly distort, and possibly fracture, under that weight. Someday I’ll have to face that issue, either feeding five filaments from behind, or some from behind and some from atop. Or building a wide roller attachment that puts the weight on the two side pieces which, being under compression, can surely hold a lot more than 5 kg. The LED insert occupies two of the top holes anyway, so it might seem incompatible with having five top-fed filaments. Except that the top and rear holes are plenty wide enough to feed several filaments each.
Incidentally, the MK3 version of the MMU is known to fit inside the enclosure. If only the MK4 with MMU could be guaranteed to fit inside the enclosure! If you’re not following the long drawn-out MK4 MMU3 saga, check this blog post. Published measurements indicate that the MK4 version should fit, but the MMU3-for-MK4 hardware hasn’t been released yet (despite being announced this past summer). I’ll update this when we find out for sure!
Using it
Printing with this enclosure has been fine. My printer’s in a basement office which tends to have temperature variations and sometimes drafts. Since using the enclosure I’ve had no issues of print warping caused by temperature drifts. With the fan not running, the temperature holds around 30C for PLA and 35C for PETG. Running the fan will lower that somewhat, depending on what speed you run it at.
One thing I worry about is the temperature of the PSU (power supply unit). Prusa’s enclosure guidelines recommend moving the PSU outside the enclosure, so it doesn’t overheat. The official Prusa enclosure does so, but the cable extension was until recently not available for the MK4. Further, users on this Reddit post report having no issues with the PS inside, especially with an exhaust fan. So I left that step until later. I did, however, order a combined thermometer and hygrometer to monitor the conditions inside. Needless to say, “there’s an add-on for that”.
Extending the Beast
The basic kit comes with an LED strip that runs on USB power, and a USB power plug for it. I printed the extra parts for the LED strip, and put that together. While a bit fiddly to assemble and install, it looks spiffy and lights up the print bed. It exposes a power switch (at the very top of the rear of the enclosure).
I never printed the fan hole cover, opting to get the recommended optional Noctua 1700 fan, which works nicely. I suggest getting the optional fan speed controller, so you can crank the fan noise down to trade off noise vs cooling. My fan runs from a USB power plug with a 5V-to-12V converter cable. I bought these parts from Amazon Canada instead of from 3DSourcerer because of the hassle of customs on imported merchandise, but in the US you can order the first two either from 3DSourcerer or from Amazon.com.
You can also print fan hose adapters to run the fan’s output to the outdoors, useful if printing noxious filaments. Or a holder for a HEPA filter if you are going to leave the filtered air indoors. HEPA filtering will remove most of the particulate matter if you’re outputting back into the room, but will not remove VOCs (volatile organic contaminants) given off by the melting of certain advanced filaments. So for those filaments, venting to the outdoors is probably a good idea.
In short, you can have plenty of fun modifying this enclosure to look and work the way you want it to.
Summary
For 3D printers from Prusa3d, or for similarly-sized printers, this enclosure is a work of art. It’s also a tinkerer’s dream, but you will have to print a bunch of pieces to get started with it. If you want consistent temperature and humidity, noise reduction, while still being able to watch your printer (either directly or via a camera) and have easy access to it, this enclosure is a “clear” winner.
A Word
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Disclosure
I purchased the enclosure kit at retail from Amazon.com, who were able to deliver it via Amazon Canada. Other items purchased at retail where mentioned. Nobody pays me to promote their product.
