Budget heat shield

thingiverse

I have a Prusa i3 with default and underpowered power supply, always struggling to keep tall ABS jobs warm enough. So, I created these little brackets and cut strips of cardboard to various heights for use in them. Every 50mm or so as the Z-axis rises, I put little walls around the item being printed, outside the travel area of the print head, to conserve heat in its immediate vicinity. Carefully place them on the print bed so that the print is fully enclosed, then come back every so often and replace them with higher walls. My infrared thermometer shows me the bed stays 5-10°C warmer inside the area, depending on the print job, and I imagine the air temperature inside is slightly higher as well. This method is not as effective as a full, heated enclosure, but it's much cheaper and easier to make. Print Settings Printer: Prusa i3 Rafts: No Supports: No Resolution: .3mm Infill: Not picky about it Notes: Because this is designed to keep ABS jobs warmer, you don't want to print it in PLA. The slot for the cardboard strips is 3.5mm, which holds the cardboard I use just fine. If yours is thicker or thinner, scale the model accordingly.