How A Passive Heated Chamber Helps You Get Better 3D Prints
3D printing is being used more and more for spare parts and end-use products. So, the workload of 3D printers that are being used in manufacturing is getting higher and they are expected to produce complex and durable parts faster than ever. To be able to manufacture parts that are fit for end-use consistently, you will need a reliable 3D printing production line that will give you optimal results for every print.
Passive heated chambers that we have on our Zaxe Z3 and Zaxe X3 models allow our 3D printers to do just that. They give you more control over the 3D printing process that in turn enables your 3D printer to give you more consistent results.
What Benefits Does Passive Heated Chamber Offer
The temperatures in your 3D printer will determine the quality of the end product. At what temperature is the filament being extruded? How hot is the print bed? Are your fans cooling off the hotend properly? These are the questions that you need to be able to answer to become a true professional of additive manufacturing. But what about the temperatures of the whole chamber?
To get repeatable results with your 3D printer you will need a stable environment. That’s why we love the passive heated chamber feature and the fully enclosed system of your Zaxe Z3 and Zaxe X3 3D Printers.
Our 3D printers with the passive heated chamber will improve your 3D printing process so much that you will see better results the first day you start printing with them. Here are just some of the ways that our passive heated chamber can help you get a better printing experience.
Perfect Layer Adhesion
It is possible for your print to have horizontal slits that resemble cracks. These are referred to as layer separations or delamination. They are the results of poor layer adhesion and will ruin the form and function of your print. Sometimes the temperatures in the printing area are not high enough and this causes the filament to cool off too early and makes it stick to the layer imperfectly.
By keeping the printing area at an optimal temperature for the material, a passive heated chamber stops the filament from cooling off too early and makes sure the layers stick to each other without any delamination.
More Durable Parts
While your model is being printed, small inconsistencies in the print can cause mechanical problems. If certain parts cool off at a different speed than other layers, it will unavoidably make small imperfections inside the printed model. While they look harmless, those seemingly small imperfections will harm the longevity of your print and can eventually cause it to crack.
Passive heated chamber gets in the way of any inconsistencies by keeping the temperatures even throughout the chamber while printing. All the different sections and layers cool off gradually and create a more consistent end product with long service life.
For more on durable 3D printed parts: How to Make 3D Printed Parts More Durable and Stronger
Example of warping in 3D printing.
No Warping
Warping is a big issue among both enthusiasts and professional 3D printer users. There is a high chance it has happened to you before. It is the common mishap of your print shrinking and the bottom corners of your print rising up. It happens when your whole print cools off way too fast and starts shrinking, losing its structural integrity.
Our passive heated chamber keeps your print area sufficiently warm. This prevents the print from becoming solid before the entire print is over. This way your print can cool off slowly when the printing process is over and keep its shape perfectly.
Better Fit, Function, and Tolerance
Perfect fit and function are both essential when creating spare parts and end-use products. If you are printing parts, they have to work perfectly together with the rest of the system and when it comes to end-use products that are being printed, they need to match the dimensions of the model you are trying to print to function as expected.
By offering better layer adhesion, no cracks and better dimensional accuracy, a 3D printer with a passive heated chamber can help you create the parts you are looking for and have a more functional production line. Spare parts and end-use products that are made with a 3D printer that has a passively heated chamber will perform better due to the added accuracy of the print.
Easy Printing with Most Filaments
Some filaments are notorious for being extremely hard to print with. That is why they are usually recommended only for expert 3D printer users. The thing that makes these certain filaments so hard to print with is the precise settings and conditions they require to give decent results.
Not only that, the temperatures some industrial materials need to be printed at are too high to ever be achieved in an open system. A passive heated chamber allows your 3D printer to keep the temperatures high enough to print with these industrial materials easily. Even when you are printing with easier materials you will get better results with the added control you have over the printing area.
For more informations on different filament types : Interesting Filaments That You Should Experiment With
Safety
The benefits that a passive heated chamber offers doesn’t just end with the improved printing quality. There are many overlooked advantages that a fully enclosed system offers, safety being one of them.
With a fully enclosed system, the chances of you accidentally touching the printhead or spilling a liquid on the printing area is much lower. Not only that, but the enclosure also protects you and the people around you from accidents that may harm you.
Zaxe has always supported 3D printing being used in education. But considering we are selling a product with parts that can get as hot as 300°C, some safety measures are necessary. The enclosed system prevents children from touching the hot parts of the 3D printer and creates a safer environment for them.
Environmental and Health Benefits
This is more about the enclosure than the passive heated chamber but they are very similar so will include it. There is a long ongoing debate about whether the fumes from 3D printers are bad for you or not. While fumes from a single printer won’t make you sick immediately, it is still a good idea to take precautions.
With open system 3D printers, there is no way of filtering the fumes the 3D printer creates. But thanks to Zaxe Z3’s and Zaxe X3’s fully enclosed system and HEPA filters, no fumes will get out of your printer. HEPA filter will also filter out the smells that the plastics you use exude so your printing environment will smell better than ever.
If you want to read more on sustainable 3D printing: Is 3D Printing Environmentally Friendly?
These are pretty much the most important improvements that our passive heated chamber will offer you. We can go on but you get the point. The safety a passive heated chamber will give you can be described only to people who know the feeling of failing a 40-hour print. Something like that will take the productivity and motivation right out of you.
As Zaxe employees who use 3D printers all day in our HQ, we can’t tell you how comforting it is to know that the prints you start will end successfully without the need for monitoring.
