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I'm building a weather-proof enclosure for some electronics. It's expected to stay exposed outside all the time so I'm worried about its resistance:

  • What would recommend me for 3D filament? I was thinking about ApolloX ASA but I don't have an enclosure.
  • What post-processing should I go with without being overkill? I was thinking about:
    • Resin coating (was thinking about XTC-3D)
    • Filler/Primer spray
    • UV-resistant spray paint
    • Water-proofing spray
  • The enclosure have some moving parts exposed, how do I make the junction between them water-tight?
Trish
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geauser
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2 Answers2

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There are already some questions about the choice of filaments for outdoor use:

Which is more durable to sunlight/weather - PLA, ABS or PETG

3d printing for outdoor use: what types of filament are most weather resistant?

PLA use outdoors?

It may very well be that if you print in PETG you won't need any postprocessing.

If you still want to, you could try to paint or spray the outside with some bitumen spray for car underbody.

I think that the only part which actually needs postprocessing is the spot with exposed moving parts.

It's difficult or impossible to find a solution without having an idea of what we are talking about when you say "some moving parts exposed", but in general this is solved first of all by adapting the design so that water wont' be an issue: rain should flow away without getting inside, and spatwater should be reduced so that it will evaporate when rain stops.

If you only have an exposed pin for rotating parts which are inside, you could also pour some wax: it will seal it while allowing movement. The same bitumen spray may help.

FarO
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I've been doing rooftop electronics for some time now that not only require 24/7 exposure to strong sunlight and rain but also requires a clear window aiming directly at the sky. I live in a freakishly sunny, hot and rainy location so it's pretty brutal. In the last few years I've been using ESun ABS+ (Plus: It's a low warp ABS alloy). I was doing fine like this since the inside is thoroughly coated with MG Chemicals 841AR shielding paint. The box eventually cracked along both sides and the guts got swamped with water from a heavy rain, so now I'm experimenting with an overcoat of Rustoleum Clear Gloss Enamel spray paint for greater strength and weather resistance. The up-facing window is a square of ITO coated PET plastic sheet, and I went ahead and sprayed that as well since I don't need perfect distortion free optics, just a clear path to light. Also, that 841AR does NOT like to stay stuck to the window plastic ITO coating, so that was one way to make sure it all stays put. Spray it once with enamel, nice and wet, let it get dry to the touch, spray it again. Seems to work quite well so far but I need a good rough hot season to see how long I can get till failure. Might move to epoxy if I have to down the road.

NightRunner417
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