BlazeCut T Series for 3D Printers

Some months back, I purchased a Prusa MK3S 3D Printer (kit) and I built an enclosure for it based on this guide. Its setup is done inside a servers rack, and I am very happy with the results so far, you can find a picture below.
But the guide was missing one important aspect, the protection in case something goes really wrong with a fire.

When I made the decision of purchasing a 3D printer I did a lot of research. What model, what dimensions and furthermore which brand has the best track record for safety. In the end, 3D prints can take a long time, many hours and some big prints can take even take a couple of days to finish.

So knowing that I was going to have the intention to leave my printer working while I was not at home or overnight, I needed to be sure that even after selecting a reputable brand like Prusa for my printer, I needed some layers of protection.

Here is where BlazeCut came into the picture, the company offers solutions for automatic fire suppression systems, and this is what I needed. This, in combination with my smoke detector that would alert me to my mobile in case something happens, was a crucial need on the setup.

THE RESEARCH

After researching quite a lot about different sort of solutions and contacting different manufacturers about how their product worked, I decided BlazeCut was the best solution in the market and these are the main reasons for my decision:

1 – BlazeCut will trigger automatically at a certain temperature (105 °C to 110 °C) for our US readers this is 221 to 230 Fahrenheit, so no manual intervention is required.

2 – In the event the device is triggered, it will not leave any powder or residue. BlazeCut calls this “Zero Clean up” and this is crucial, because I wouldn’t want to lose all my investment in case something goes wrong.

3 – Its non-corrosive so it won’t damage any metal part and its also safe for electronic equipment.

4 – It does not require any type of battery or power supply.

The model I installed (T100E) costs CHF 150 (around USD 150) in Switzerland, maybe it’s a bit more expensive than other solutions, but those other solutions I analyzed were leaving residues, ruining all my equipment in case of a fire, so the cost would be even higher.

I was also intrigued about how it would work for a 3D Printer enclosure, and they even have contemplated this use case with one of the BlazeCut T Series models. Check out how it works on the following YouTube video of just 1 minute and 24 seconds:

I think the video was the most important validation that finishing for convincing me, it was exactly what I was looking for.

THE TRUST FACTOR

BlazeCut holds multiple certifications that bring the peace of mind that you need to ensure you are getting a product that will work as stated.

It is very difficult to write a review about a product that you cannot test. I mean, you could, but then you would need to buy 2 of them and simulate a fire like BlazeCut did to ensure the product works as expected.
Fortunately I didn’t need to do that (and you neither), as the guys from MatterHackers did the same test too in one of their enclosures, you can check their 2 minutes video below:

They not only have the T Series which is made for small enclosures of different sizes, but they also have the C Series and other product lines that you can check on their website here. The company is headquartered in Australia and I understand all their devices are produced in Europe in Slovakia.