CNC Enclosures Designs

There is a giant thread here for inspiration :

My latest iteration is that big box:

image

Some folks go to extreme lengths to build fancy enclosures (I don’t).

Enclosures are a rabbit hole of their own, there is no definitive answer/design, it all depends on your needs and budget. Noise reduction is a priority for some, not for others. Dust containment, ditto.

You can find literally tens of threads about building enclosures on the forum, some with plans.

You’ll want to make one that is tall (like, really, taller than you would think you need), has windows, and possibly has a hatch at the back of the machine to allow tiling jobs that require to slide the stock along Y beyond the wasteboard limits.

You will want enough clearance on each side of the machine for maintenance, and some space in front of the machine (endmills falling on the floor while you swap them in the router is not a great feeling)

The space underneath the machine should not be wasted, and that’s a great place to store a shop vac and dust separator (cyclone).

Also, you want a readily accessible “OH sh**” button that removes all power when you smash it.

Plus another ten things I forgot to mention, but really building a first enclosure and using it is the best way to know what you want/need. You will likely build several ones anyway.

4 Likes