With the Flashforge Adventurer 5m, my first 3D print is the Enclosure kit project. What follows are just a quick few notes from trying to figure this all out.

After exploring some of the comments around the enclosure online, I decided to follow the DIY Minimal Enclosure from @design8studio, so thank you to them. I did forget to print the updated riser panels that is now linked on that project, however, and just used the project at that link. I would recommend to use the upgrades after printing the original, but they aren’t serious enough to make me want to print anything over again.

120 or 240 volts?

Since this took a bit for me to figure out as well, the printer can be used on 240 volt inputs after switching the small red toggle recessed within the back left bar of the printer from 120 to 230. I used one of the hex keys to push it up. The printer instruction manual and online specifications says either voltage is fine, but for some reason an extremely large sticker on the back of the printer indicates only 120 volts, which made me pause for a bit before trying it out.

What’s this error mean?

The only error I ran into was a Move Queue Overflow Error, which I found a Reddit thread for. I had the same issue as some people mentioned, where even after adjusting the speed (which took me awhile, since the printer uses icons rather than words, and offers no key to decipher what the icons mean), clicking continue did not actually continue the print, and I had to restart the printer, then run a Recovery Print.

Confusingly, when I first saw the Recovery Print, I didn’t know exactly what that meant (start over and do it again? Or from what point in the print?), and I could not find a help article on Flashforge’s website about it. So I just clicked sure and it did continue the print from roughly where it left off. The power has gone out a few times during prints and the Recovery Print has worked well in those situations since as well - really appreciate that feature now.

Enclosure panels

I am slightly embarrassed to admit that the panels on the Enclosure kit were opaque when they arrived; I was surprised since everything online shows see-through panels. But it turns out they ship the panels with a sheet of plastic on them that I only realized after reading a comment in a YouTube short. The instructions never mentioned taking any plastic off, and I didn’t even notice that the plastic layer was separate from the panel itself.

Working hinges

One note online I saw multiple times was on the hinges not rotating - that they are stuck shut after printing. This is true, but I simply pressed the clasp together until the supports snapped. Then you have a working hinge. I did break one by trying to pry it apart, so I definitely recommend pushing the two edges together so the hinge closes even further. After it snaps, you should be able to rotate it fully without problems.

Air filters?

I am still confused on air filters and fans for the enclosure. For example, you can buy the air filters for the printer. Yet there are no air filter covers that are included with the printer or the air filters themselves, so I assume these are meant to be printed. However, the photo of the printer online shows the covers installed already, so I wasn’t sure.

Is there any concern with just putting these in? Do you need a fan or an exhaust when using the enclosure and adding the HEPA filters? Like how this person or this person added separate fans.

Multiple comments will mention the cooling, or the temperature surrounding the print, or the odor or the fumes as reason for the enclosure, but I haven’t found a clear and simple guide of “this is best practice” from the company or externally, which would be helpful.

This Reddit thread asks essentially the same question, but even after reading it, I’m not really sure of the answer.

Then this Reddit thread specifically asks about the filter covers; I don’t see any comments pointedly saying a fan or any additional parts are necessary.

Usability thoughts

  • One consistent point is that I wish the app or printer screen would provide a better link to a official help or more information page.

  • The Orca Flashforge tool is not beginner friendly at all, but clicking each plate one at a time, previewing it, then selecting print plate worked… so I just tried to not touch anything else.

  • Connecting the printer to the laptop was consistently irritating. The printer makes me re-log-in to the Wifi after restart. The Orca Flashforge software makes me log-in to a Flashforge account for whatever reason. Clicking the Add Printer Plus button on the Devices tab was inconsistently finding the printer. I couldn’t use the printer hotspot, as then the Orca slicer software would complain about me not being logged into the Flashforge account.

  • The Printables 3d model sharing website is a bit odd to get used to. For example, I didn’t know the difference between the .3mf or .stl file types at all. There are many “Remixes” that force you to check out each one and compare and contrast based on a text box. After a while, I just sort of settled on the one that looked simplest.

  • The help video Flashforge provides is this wordless assembly video; I really would have appreciated a better walkthrough on installing the software, learning some terminology, explaining a basic workflow, and printing the parts. Instead the instruction manual just says “visit this link for the file” and you just figure it out.

  • I don’t love that answers to basic things that could be in the instructions need Reddit threads for people to figure out.