10-02-2021, 06:05
3D Printed Radiation Shield for Meteo Stations - Part 1
Overall View
Since long time that I'm thinking in a 3D printed Radiation Shield to replace those I have, with more than five years of use. Recently, I found on Thingiverse a model with a detail which I particularly liked, which is the capability to easily remove the sensor for replacement, or just for the annual inspection.
However, from my past experience with radiation shields, the original design doesn't full fit my requirements, but the idea of being able to easily remove the sensor is so good that I decided to take it as a base, and make some changes:
...
- Instead of having the plates just on top of the other, they are now overlapped by a distance of 50mm, this reduces the possibility of rain to reach the central part of the radiation shield and damage the sensor.
- The size of the plates was increased to 110mm.
- The size of the central hole was increased to 40mm to accommodate an optional 40mm fan.
- Redesigned the support of the sensor to:
...
- There are two construction options:
...
Everything prints fine without supports.
Ideally, for UV protection and additional mechanical resistance, it should be printed using ASA, PETG or ABS.
I printed the first unit in PLA with a resolution of 0.3, and painted each piece with enamel acrylic ink.
Later I plan to print a second unit in PETG which is waterproof, impact resistant and more durable than ABS. Thanks to a strong layer adhesion, it can better withstand UV light and is generally less challenging to print with. Additionally, PETG emits no smelly fumes.
Continue on next topic...
Overall View
Since long time that I'm thinking in a 3D printed Radiation Shield to replace those I have, with more than five years of use. Recently, I found on Thingiverse a model with a detail which I particularly liked, which is the capability to easily remove the sensor for replacement, or just for the annual inspection.
However, from my past experience with radiation shields, the original design doesn't full fit my requirements, but the idea of being able to easily remove the sensor is so good that I decided to take it as a base, and make some changes:
...
- Instead of having the plates just on top of the other, they are now overlapped by a distance of 50mm, this reduces the possibility of rain to reach the central part of the radiation shield and damage the sensor.
- The size of the plates was increased to 110mm.
- The size of the central hole was increased to 40mm to accommodate an optional 40mm fan.
- Redesigned the support of the sensor to:
- Include an optional connector for the fan.
- Allow using an additional chamber for the sensor (more on this later)
...
- There are two construction options:
- Standard Radiation Shield
- Standard Radiation Shield plus a small (25mm) box integrated on the base, intended to place some electronics when needed, which can be the case of those who are using I2C Extender circuits.
...
Everything prints fine without supports.
Ideally, for UV protection and additional mechanical resistance, it should be printed using ASA, PETG or ABS.
I printed the first unit in PLA with a resolution of 0.3, and painted each piece with enamel acrylic ink.
Later I plan to print a second unit in PETG which is waterproof, impact resistant and more durable than ABS. Thanks to a strong layer adhesion, it can better withstand UV light and is generally less challenging to print with. Additionally, PETG emits no smelly fumes.
Continue on next topic...