Clear acrylic panels have been a mainstay of 3D printer case design for a long time, but they can also add significantly to costs in terms of capital, shipping, weight, and hassle. Another interesting alternative is corrugated plastic (also known as coroplast), which is cheap, lightweight, highly insulating, and easy to work with. Many case designs can be modified to use it in place of acrylic, so let’s take a closer look at what it has to offer.
It’s not just the purchase price that makes acrylic an expensive option. Acrylic is quite heavy, and shipping panel-sized parts can be expensive. Also, cutting acrylic without special tools can be challenging, as it can easily crack if handled incorrectly. Acrylic cuts fine with a laser cutter, but most laser cutters aren’t powerful enough to cut cabinet-sized panels. If you can’t cut acrylic by hand, here are some tips on how to use the tools you have.
Acrylic is best purchased from local stores, who can also cut it for a reasonable price with the right tools, but it’s still far from inexpensive. There is another option: corrugated plastic has many properties that deserve attention, especially for amateurs.
Corrugated plastic is known to most of us as a material for lawn signs. Using it in case design is not a new idea (here is a printer case made entirely of it, and here is a CNC router case that also uses it), but instead of making a whole case out of it, it makes sense to just use it as panel material. There is no need to design a new case from scratch. It is possible to use existing structures and replace acrylic panels with corrugated plastic panels.
It is easier to find than acrylic sheets and certainly easier to work with. Any sign store or plastic supplier will probably have them in stock in a variety of colors.
The corrugated plastic material is 4mm thick, not 3mm, which means it is not necessarily a direct replacement for acrylic in existing designs. But not every case is limited by panel thickness.
The two easiest ways to use this material are to create an enclosure by adding panels to an existing structure, or to use an existing design but replace the acrylic with corrugated plastic. Below are examples of both.
This is an enclosure that I built into an IKEA BROR metal shelving unit that easily fits a Prusa Mini 3D printer. BROR BROR is made of angled metal parts with holes spaced at equal distances from each other. This makes it very easy to turn a shelf section into a fence by simply installing a few side panels; conventional shelf surfaces provide top and bottom.
The corrugated plastic panels not only fit easily behind metal corner posts, but it only takes a few short screws through the handy holes to secure them completely. Windows can be made by cutting a hole and then gluing or attaching a piece of clear plastic on one or both sides. CA glue and most other glues work well with corrugated plastic.
The only inconvenience I encountered was when designing the front door. Instead of making cabinet doors with hinges, I made a simple removable lid using a lightweight material. The frame of the shelf is steel, so I glued a couple of strong magnets on a separate sheet to make a removable magnetic front cover. I can completely close the front or leave gaps for airflow as needed. The result is simple, attractive and very cheap, except for the shelf itself.
The only issue with retrofitting existing enclosures designed for 3mm acrylic sheets is that 4mm corrugated plastic may not fit as it is slightly thicker. While it is always possible to simply cut and sand the material to fit, for best results, the panel fasteners should be redesigned to fit thicker materials.
For example, I like the design of the Prusa V2 LACK case and its 3D printed parts, but next time I will use corrugated plastic panels instead of acrylic. To do this, I redid the necessary parts for a 4 mm thick material.
Luckily Prusa provided not only STL files but also CAD files for their projects. While it is possible to modify parts that only exist as STL files, access to CAD format files often makes these tasks easier.
For 3D printers, case design is still an unresolved issue. “Soft” fencing options, such as photo tents or fabric plant boxes, are cost-effective options, but there are ways to cut costs with more traditional designs. In this regard, corrugated plastic offers many advantages.
The idea of using corrugated plastic in cases is not new, but it seems to be underrepresented. Do you know a shell that uses it effectively or in a particularly clever way, or do you have some tricks of your own? We definitely want to hear it, so please share your thoughts in the comments.
Glass is also a very economical material. Many local stores will even cut it to size and round the edges if necessary. Combined with the steel framing, this should provide the additional ability to stop a fire should one occur.
Yes. Glass would be my first choice. I don’t know about corrugated plastic, but glass is much cheaper than acrylic and less likely to catch fire.
Pink Styrofoam is polystyrene, which melts, burns, and gives off toxic fumes. The best option is to use PIR foam, which will not melt, burn or emit toxic fumes. Buy it from the same places as Styrofoam for about the same price or possibly more.
“This study assessed the degree of release of toxic products, looked at the toxicity, release time profiles, and lethality of released doses in a series of burning, non-burning, and poorly ventilated fires, and concluded that PIRs typically release more. the materials studied (PIR > PUR > EPS > PHF; fiberglass and mineral wool were also studied) had much higher levels of toxic products.”
Corrugated plastic is not as durable as acrylic: after 2-3 years it simply dissolves in porridge…
Possibly, but there is an “outer” version of coroplast for roofs. I think 10mm thick. Most of them are transparent, but compared to acrylic or glass, the increase in price can make it less than ideal.
About 6-8 years ago, all those unnecessary frames for 3D printers were made of acrylic. Sloppy thing – it cracks under the onslaught of screws. If you need clear plastic, PC is the best choice.
Note that computers can also be hacked. The trick is that you don’t want to leave a cut edge because the crack will go through the plastic. The best way to make small screw holes is to melt them with a soldering iron. You can also use a soldering iron or lighter to trim the edges. This may not be very valuable knowledge for a 3D printer, but it is vital for a drone case.
Also great for prototyping, especially when combined with hot glue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U-Se6spYbo
If you really want to create a strong/structural bond, coroplast can be difficult to use with hot glue since at least branded coroplast is polypropylene which doesn’t require a lot of glue. I had to use coroplast to make a bunch of structures and packages, and I needed an industrial hot glue gun and special 3M glue sticks to glue everything together. But for easy gluing and generally crop is a good material.
Also noteworthy are sintra and dibond, which are inexpensive due to their widespread use in the sign making industry. Sintra is basically a thick PVC foam often used for signage – easy to cut with a precision knife, can be CNC milled, has good rigidity and is very light in weight. Do not play with fire/laser as PVC releases chlorine gas when burned. Dibond is a polyethylene sheet with a thin aluminum surface on one or both sides – it can be cut and notched with many common tools, is fire and UV resistant, and has a cool structure/aesthetics when cutting parts.
I was looking for a case that looks great, is affordable, and is ready to go. As I have found, bread boxes come in a variety of styles and seem like a good option. They are usually made from bamboo, wood, stainless steel or steel. You can install on the back or front door. Some bolt the panels together to provide additional access during construction. This idea comes from a recent article about building a computer with a 7400 chip. This builder used a bread box in his paddock.
There is a special UV-restan Corroplast for greenhouses, thicker for glass replacement and thinner for placement inside the glass. It can survive for years in the harshest conditions.
A thinner material with a thickness of 3-4 mm is used to diffuse light and slightly insulate the sunny side of the greenhouse.
Double polycarbonate! This time last year I was considering it as an alternative since I had a few spare sheets in the greenhouse but it was hard to get a really clean cut on them (but easy to cut with a Stanley blade or a jigsaw in a pinch). Instead, I used an extra amount of acetate from a covid face shield I made. Some scotch and acetate cut to size and surprise your uncle!
I used a double wall PC on the wall and at the bottom of the printer. Great material, 8mm thick so it fits right into the T-slot (but doesn’t add stiffness to the frame). It also provides good optics with the LED strips built into my printer.
Hello my friend. I made the case out of thick plastic film. Corrugated plastic is also a very good idea. Unfortunately it’s not transparent, but it’s a good idea.
Check mine here. The door is just a piece of plastic that I folded up. There are 2 magnets on the edge of the bottom, which are attracted by the screws in the bottom frame.
My collapsible kayak is made from a single sheet of corrugated cardboard. Very strong until you hit big rocks. I have used it on class 2 rivers and several lakes.
I would like to see your boat as I am planning to make a canoe with a canoe. I know corrugated plastic is strong but have not considered using it in shipbuilding. This is partly due to the fact that it is hollow and only wants to bend in one direction.
Hi, I’ve been reading some campaign/political jokes here. Do you want to explain references to non-native speakers? I think I’m missing the connection to figure it out.
During elections, people will post signs in their yards and wherever they are allowed to. Most of them are sheets of plastic or corrugated plastic signs. Good size too, very close to the correct size for the yard. The signs usually stay in place until someone tries to pick them up and throw them away, only to have them all over the place on a windy day.
Not in the People’s Republic of Minnesota. No election posters may be raised until 30 days before the election and must be lowered within 10 days after the election. The penalties are severe enough to attract the candidate’s attention. Pro Tip: Volunteer to Raise the Sign.
Another advantage is that the coroplast sheet is thick enough to fit into the T-slot of a standard 1″ aluminum profile. The frame can be easily built in 80/20 ratio and then simply inserted into the coroplast sheet.
In my lab, we used this trick (using the black crown plastic) to make light-tight enclosures for sensitive optical measurements. Intricately shaped custom enclosures can be wrapped around devices in minutes. And cheap!
I recently experimented with acrylic and agree that it is not my choice. However, I disagree with the author when it comes to tools for the job. With just a few scraps of plywood, a few paper clips, masking tape, a utility knife, and some sandpaper, I was able to cut my sheets to the size I wanted. Just take your time and be clean. There is no crack. As for the cost, I was lucky. My local TAP Plastics gave me a piece of paper from their waste pile.
Lowes sells an acrylic marking tool. Essentially draw a deep line a few times and then fold over on a marker.
I agree on one thing – glass is surprisingly cheap if you go to upstream sellers – they will cut it to the exact size or do/won’t do an advantage for you. What’s more, you can get the desired thickness. Also, if you ask what they use in their current work and you need small parts that can be made from scraps, it’s even cheaper.
A few years ago I bought a lot of 10mm laminated tempered glass for a project – they were doing a security application and they had shards from their large window panes. Unbreakable and great for stopping sounds!
I use aluminum composite panels and they work great. Use another trade name such as alucobond for example.
1. Frame made of PVC pipes and fittings with a minimum size to ensure sufficient rigidity after removal of all sides and top. 2. The sides and top are made of foam (paper on both sides and foam in the middle). 3. The foam is held in place with magnets on the sides and top. 4. Some inexpensive steel hardware to create connection points on PVC pipe for foam magnets. 5. Foam cutouts on several sides of plastic sheet window guards.
There are many PVC pipes available on Thingiverse for 3D printing. Scale for different pipe sizes. example:
I made a case out of Styrofoam that I had on hand and it worked great. Low tech, but the front cover is an old front access towel. I have a camera that doesn’t need transparent sides, at least they don’t need to be transparent… built another case with a 1/8″ luan panel and one sliding PC panel on the front. There is absolutely no reason to make all 4 faces transparent.
There are several videos on YouTube about this. I thought to do it myself, but there is no place in the apartment. I bought an Inlet kayak from Oru. It’s not cheap, but well made. Even if you make your own, it’s worth seeing how Oru does it.
Another option, especially if you are interested in fire safety, is to use drywall (cladding, drywall) as a sheathing. Different thicknesses actually have a fire rating, and methods for making products from it are common: joint sealant, joint tape, etc. First heard of it being used in non-architectural applications to add a layer to fire resistance to improve fire safety, but for the same reason, it is also suitable for use in printers. However, my printer is old and abs oriented, and it actually has too much body for a lot of my prints, so…
Post time: May-08-2023