Page 59 - eBook_Proceedings of the International Conference on Digital Manufacturing V1

Evaluating Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) and Blockboard as Enclosure
Materials for Ambient Stability in FDM Printing

that likely minimises material deformation and enhances
interlayer adhesion. In the final stage of the experiment, just
before the 200-minute mark, the observed drop in ambient
temperature is likely due to the cooling sequence triggered by the
3D printer after completing its print cycle.

As primary heat sources, such as the heated bed and extruder,
begin shutting down, the internal temperature of the enclosure
naturally declines. This downward trend aligns with expected
thermal behaviour following the end of active printing, rather than
pointing to any shortcomings in the enclosure’s insulating
capabilities. Therefore, the temperature decrease during this
period should be seen as a normal consequence of reduced internal
heat generation, not as evidence of poor thermal retention.

Comparative Analysis of Ambient Temperature Profiles in
PMMA and Blockboard

Maintaining a stable ambient temperature during the 3D printing
process is critical for achieving high-quality results especially
when working with materials like Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene
(ABS), which are particularly sensitive to thermal fluctuations.
Even slight changes in temperature can lead to issues such as
warping, cracking, or weak layer adhesion. To address this,
enclosures are often used to help regulate the temperature around
the printed object. In this study, we compared two printing
environments: a PMMA enclosure, and a blockboard enclosure.
The goal was to evaluate how each configuration influences
ambient temperature over a 200-minute FDM print cycle. Figure
10 presents the ambient temperature profiles for all three setups.

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