Clura's Open-Source Smart Enclosure Brings HEPA Filtration and Monitoring to Desktop 3D Printers

A team of aerospace engineering bachelor's students at TU Delft in the Netherlands spent the past year building the enclosure they couldn't find anywhere else. The result is Clura, a modular, retrofit smart enclosure that adds HEPA and activated carbon filtration, environmental monitoring, fire and smoke detection, real-time filament tracking, RGB lighting, and a touchscreen controller to desktop 3D printers — with every CAD file, firmware file, schematic, and assembly guide released under a Creative Commons Non-Commercial license at docs.clura.dev.

Founder and lead engineer Fabrizio Blasio framed the project as a health problem the community has largely ignored. "3D-printing in your room shouldn't mean compromising the air you breathe," he said. "We searched for a solution, a 3D printer enclosure, but this is what we found: expensive options, outdated features, closed source, no air filtration. Not being satisfied, we decided to build our own 3D printer enclosure — making it modular, open-source, affordable, and packed with features."

Clura launched a Kickstarter campaign with physical rewards starting at $119 for the standalone electronics kit, which includes the air filtration system, LED lighting, touchscreen controller, environmental sensors, and a basic smoke sensor for installation into a self-built enclosure. The full enclosure pack, which adds the frame, panels, and structural components, is priced at $259. Backers who locked in a pre-launch reservation could do so with a $3.14 refundable deposit, which Clura said would guarantee premium perks and priority shipping.

The system comes in three model configurations targeting the most common bed-slinger footprints. The PE1 fits the Prusa MK3 and MK4, the BE1 covers the Bambu Lab A1, Ender 3, and Creality HI, and the ME1 is sized for the Prusa Mini and Bambu A1 Mini. Clura says the modular design also adapts to other printers of similar dimensions.

One technical detail that sets the system apart from passive enclosure options is the filament monitoring implementation. Clura uses HX711 load cells to deliver real-time filament weight tracking, a feature more commonly found in purpose-built multi-material systems than in aftermarket enclosure kits.

For makers who already have an enclosure or want to build their own box, Clura also offers a standalone electronics kit that includes the motherboard, sensors, and display without any structural components. "One universal system works on any printer," the project documentation states. "Choose your path: Back us on Kickstarter for a complete kit or self-source using our free files. Either way, you own a solution you can build, modify, and improve forever."

The core team behind Clura is small: two aerospace engineering students and a production partner, with additional contributions from community members. Blasio has said he believes the 3D printing community hasn't taken health and safety seriously enough, and that changing that perception was a primary motivation for the project. He has also claimed the enclosure offers "more features than any competitor, at half the price," though independent pricing comparisons have not yet been verified.

Complete documentation, including links to the GitHub repository, lives at docs.clura.dev, and the Kickstarter campaign launched ahead of the March roundup that brought wider industry attention to the project.