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We are in a stage of creating a prototype of some IoT device with some electric boards and sensors. The device will be connected to the power and the boards inside might be warm a bit.

What material whould you recommended to print it? Will you recommend it to production as well? Thanks

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    $\begingroup$ Your question would benefit from additional detail, in order to prevent closure for lack of same. "Warm a bit" has different meanings to different people. Perhaps a specific wattage figure can be provided? Are you asking for an enclosure design or an open mounting system? Sketches of the layout would be useful. One word is worth one one-thousandth of a picture. $\endgroup$
    – fred_dot_u
    Oct 20, 2021 at 14:47
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    $\begingroup$ Are you asking about printing conductive pathways for data or for power, or just a base material to which you will mount items? Either way, you'll need to characterize and quantify the environment (atmosphere, temperature, pressure, humidity, etc) and performance criteria (rigid, slight flex, very flexible, etc.). $\endgroup$
    – Davo
    Oct 20, 2021 at 16:46
  • $\begingroup$ What kind of printer and setup do you have? Enclosed or open frame? $\endgroup$
    – ChinchillaWafers
    Oct 20, 2021 at 23:31

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If you are using powered MCUs (like an ESP32) or more powerful processing (such as a Raspberry Pi), you should not allow the processor to get hot without some additional passive (heatsinks) or active (fans) cooling.

Assuming you are able to cool the devices, even a Pi should not get warmer than 60 °C. If you use PETG or ASA for your enclosure, these can both cope with the temperature as well as external UV exposure.

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This highly depends on the design. With standoffs and some distance to any hot surface, pretty much all materials can work as an enclosure, as long as you make sure to have enough cooling capacity from airflow. This airflow can be active (fan-driven) or passive (heat-driven) and entirely based on the interior design of your enclosure.

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