New 3D Printing Safety Enclosure and Filtration System Designed for Ultimaker 3D Printers and XSTRAND

The Ultimate 3D Printing Store (U3DPS), based in Florida, was one of the first resellers in the US to carry engineering-grade XSTRAND 3D printing filament by Owens Corning. This exclusive material is part of the Ultimaker ecosystem, as it can now be used with the Ultimaker S5 thanks to the CC Red 0.6 print core, which Ultimaker just released on Tuesday. But more good news has just been announced for these three, in the form of a single, powerful solution for industrial 3D printing.

“We are thrilled to announce that our exclusive 3Domus Filtration System (3DFS), which we designed specifically for the Ultimaker S5, will be available the same day,” said Roy Kirchner, Founder and President of the Ultimate 3D Printing Store.

The combination of the Ultimaker S5, XSTRAND filament, and the 3DFS safety enclosure is sure to have many industrial users reaching for their wallets. 3DFS is actually the first safety enclosure designed specifically for use with XSTRAND filaments and Ultimaker 3D printers.

“Ultimaker is rightly regarded as making the world’s best FFF 3D printers. And Owens Corning has created a filament that will revolutionize 3D additive manufacturing. Now, our company is debuting the first, and only, safety enclosure for the Ultimaker S5, which we believe not only completes this luxury machine but allows XSTRAND to print to its fullest capacity,” said Kirchner.

The enclosure, with U3DPS says is the first of its kind, was designed so Ultimaker S5 users could 3D print with more exotic filaments, such as XSTRAND, without contaminating their work space or damaging the machine.

The 3DFS safety enclosure, which Kirchner says is also compatible with the Ultimaker 3, Ultimaker 3 Extended, Ultimaker 2+, and Ultimaker 2 Extended 3D printers, comes pre-assembled, so you can take it out of the box and put it right to work. The enclosure comes with an optional activated carbon and HEPA filtration system, and offers “maximum protection” with no screws necessary to attach it to the 3D printer.

Safety and protection during 3D printing is a big deal. When 3D printers are used in places where a lot of people are around, like business and schools, there’s always a danger of inhaling small particles and potentially dangerous fumes. Last month, 3DPrint.com spoke with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which is the part of the US government that researches the safety of workers in many different professions.

“If a risk cannot be eliminated, engineering controls such as a fume hood or local exhaust ventilation (a system that specifically ventilates the printer rather than the air in a room) with HEPA/carbon filtration would be the next preferred method to reduce emission levels.  Some 3-D printers are now being sold with built-in filtration units,” the group of NIOSH researchers told us last month when asked how people should best protect themselves from potential 3D printing risks.

“In one workplace, NIOSH researchers showed that an appropriately designed and operated local exhaust ventilation with HEPA/carbon filtration reduced the amounts of particles and chemicals in air.”

According to Kirchner, U3DPS was inspired to develop a safety-conscious and attractive add-on unit because none of the 3D printers by Ultimaker currently come with their own factory-built enclosures.

Kirchner explained, “Anyone who works with one of these high-end printers, especially in an enclosed environment, should have this enclosure, not only to protect their machine from outside contaminants and to maintain internal thermal management, but also to keep their work environment free of fumes during the printing process.

“Our clear enclosure fits over your Ultimaker printer like a glove, forming a seal, while still allowing full view of the printing process.”

The company’s new Ultimaker safety enclosure can be purchased with or without the activated carbon and HEPA filtration system. Each 33DFS unit comes pre-drilled, so it can easily attached to an Ultimaker 3D printer. But in addition to offering us a safer way to use our 3D printers, the best news is that the safety enclosure is relatively affordable…maybe not for someone like me, who hates spending large amounts of money on fancy equipment (thus, why I do not own a 3D printer), but for those who spend a lot of time 3D printing, it’s worth the cost.

The enclosure can be purchased without the filtration system for a price between $179 and $379, while including the 3DFS with the enclosure will cost, depending on the 3D printer, anywhere from $299 (Ultimaker 2+) to $499 (Ultimaker S5). Additionally, you can also purchase the activated carbon and HEPA filtration system separately for just $129; replacement filters are only $29 each. But if you’re interested, you’d better act fast – the company expects that the limited quantity of enclosures currently available for purchase in its initial production run will sell out fast. Visit the Ultimate 3D Printing Store website to purchase yours today.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the comments below. 

[Images provided by The Ultimate 3D Printing Store]