Some 3D printers have a reputation for catching fire. Most (but obviously not all) printers now have firmware that can detect common problems that can cause fires. If you write your own firmware, you can check whether protection is enabled, but what if you have a printer from an unknown source? [Thomas] Show you how Check the safe printer. You can also view his video embedded below.
The idea is the kind of failure where forgery can cause problems. First, you want to turn on the heater when the thermistor reading is incorrect. If the thermistor reading is stuck or reading the ambient temperature, it may just be driving the heating element to become hotter and hotter. This will not always cause a fire, but it may cause toxic fumes.
Of course, if the thermistor reading is too hot, you should handle it yourself, because the firmware should turn off the heater and wait for the temperature to drop, which it won’t do. We had a thermistor pop up before, and we also had a tiny thermistor disconnected and connected intermittently. The appropriate firmware will detect this and stop heating. [Thomas] Simulate this by deliberately removing the heater or thermistor and unplugging the thermistor.
He tried two printers, an Ender 3 and an Aquila. Ender 3 is safe, although surprisingly it restarts due to an error. On the other hand, this will definitely turn off the heater, so it’s good. However, Aquila is disappointing because it freezes and keeps heating up in certain failure modes.
Of course, there are other things that can cause problems, so just passing these tests is not a completely secure free pass, but it is a good indicator. However, for example, a short FET (or a short on the PCB) may cause the heater to turn on, and the firmware will not be able to turn it off. However, this situation should be rare. These other modes are more likely.
We are no strangers to tools that get hot. Soldering irons, heat guns, and even our kitchen appliances are always in use. But 3D printers seem to have more potential problems, and there are some stories about them burning out. A bad connector is usually the culprit, but even if you are sure of your connector, power supply, and firmware, you should not leave the printer unattended.