[azile0]

Hey folks, I am putting together a new computer build and it so far features a lot of red/black colored pieces. So I thought it looked like a Shivan-y rig, and of course that got me wanting to make a Shivan computer case. I don't know much about 3D printing so I thought I'd ask people who know more about it. How feasible would it be to design and print a covering for my PC tower? I would drop it on top of/drop the tower into the 3D printed model and have hollowed out sections to accommodate the tower and airflow.

[Phantom Hoover]

why would you do this

[Klaustrophobia]

I don't know a lot about 3D printing either, but a computer case doesn't seem to me to be something it's well suited for. 

[Dragon]

Covering the tower might not be a good idea, plastic is bad at conducting heat. I don't know what kind of performance we're talking about or whether your air cooling can compensate, but I have a feeling that a thick plastic covering might impede heat dissipation. Computer case would be a prime candidate for 3D printing in metal, but this tends to be a pricey option.

3D printing the front panel should be OK, as long as you could get a display to go with it (unless you don't need one, of course, not every computer needs temperature readouts there).

[The E]

As long as the ventilation is unimpeded, it shouldn't be a problem.

EDIT: While it's probably not a good idea to pack a PC case in insulating material, a few plastic bits won't make much of a difference. Most of the heat exchange happens through the fans.

[Dragon]

From his description, it sounds like that's what he was thinking of (essentially a full cover over the case). A better idea would be a kind of "frame" sitting on top and with bits running down the sides, kind of like Poseidon freighter fits over its container. Couple that with a front panel piece (either a custom panel or a simple cover with cutouts for the buttons) and it should work. Assuming there's no top and/or front exhaust (my case has both, but that's not always the case. Sorry, had to. ), it wouldn't even influence the airflow.

[Bobboau]

I see no reason why a well ventelated fully plastic case with lots of large (and therefore quiet) fans would have any heat dissipation issues.

But this is just a case cover, I really see nothing wrong with that as long as it doesn't cover the airflow.

[Unknown Target]

You would have to split it up into multiple chunks in order to print the whole thing - there are few 3D printers that can print something the size of a computer case in one go.

I would advise against printing large structural components out of plastic without redesigning them from their original sheet metal configuration.

Plastic accents and other non-structural components would be fine.

Can you model? This would make it a lot easier to understand where you're coming from. Are you going to be using a case and adding to it or were you planning on doing the entire thing?

Source: I work for Formlabs & teach 3D printing.