1

Topic: PLA print fan for 2.0A (working progress) for Curling on overhangs

I wanted to share my fan head mount for the duo 2.0A. It's designed to cool the printed pla (not the heads). I started the designs looking at one duo fan holder for duo 2 that's on thingiverse (thing:553792) but I started from the scrach and tookmy own meassures since I'm using a heavy 8x8cm fan conected via usb. Remember this fan isnt to cool the hot end, it's to avoid curling on overhangs and make the placool down faster. For rectangular design isn't needed but for the stuff I'm working (wood pla with a lot of overhangs) it's a must for me.

Also this it's a beta. I'll post the files on thingiverse this weekend after I make a few ajustments.

My fan box:
- Hangs to the motors and gets a little grip arround side connectors (not cables)
- Pass though the space of the rails.
- Can hold a 'heavy' fan without problem.
- Get's the grip of the metal of the x and doesn't hit on sides so the extruder moves freely.

Problems so far:
- The supports inside the fan are hard to remove, but easy if printed with S3D.
- The front door must stay open. It's the only area where it 'hits'.
- I needto test it futher on 'shaky' prints.

Post's attachments

image.jpg
image.jpg 1.4 mb, file has never been downloaded. 

image.jpg
image.jpg 1.48 mb, file has never been downloaded. 

image.jpg
image.jpg 1.39 mb, file has never been downloaded. 

image.jpg
image.jpg 1.48 mb, file has never been downloaded. 

You don't have the permssions to download the attachments of this post.

2

Re: PLA print fan for 2.0A (working progress) for Curling on overhangs

Looks interesting.  Would be great if you did some on and off print examples to show the real benefits.

3

Re: PLA print fan for 2.0A (working progress) for Curling on overhangs

I will. This week it's very complicated because of work. But this weekend I wan't to road test it and start with the final design to upload it.

4 (edited by jnadke 2015-01-29 18:03:46)

Re: PLA print fan for 2.0A (working progress) for Curling on overhangs

As for the supports issue, I've generally found slic3r does a crap job on making easily removable supports.

Cura or CraftWare does a great job (as does S3D).  CraftWare has S3D's customizable support feature.


I recently made a bracket, and in the vertical direction it had a gap halfway up.   Like this (the gap was part of a spool hanger on thingiverse, so I couldn't just flip it on its side):

====||
====||
====||
    ||
====||
====||

Slic3r insisted on making an elaborate support structure to support the gap.  Except this support structure was always too close to the bracket and would fuse with it (unless I printed extremely slow with a ridiculous cooling time).

CraftWare just printed a "shim" in a direction orthogonal to the "grain" of the gap.  Essentially making an easily removable shim with few contact points.  No elaborate support structure was needed.

5

Re: PLA print fan for 2.0A (working progress) for Curling on overhangs

Finally I was able to end the design. Next post will be to upload the stl and show some photos of it working

The part that was more challenging was to avoid support, and I was able to do cut the supports to a minimum, and more important the inside air exit has zero supports smile

Post's attachments

fan-neotko-rhino.jpg 750.56 kb, file has never been downloaded. 

fan-neotko-S3D.png 1.61 mb, file has never been downloaded. 

You don't have the permssions to download the attachments of this post.

6

Re: PLA print fan for 2.0A (working progress) for Curling on overhangs

Great progress.  Can't wait to see some example prints.

Have you done any other mods to print PLA?  Are you successfully printing PLA?

Thanks,

7

Re: PLA print fan for 2.0A (working progress) for Curling on overhangs

Well the design has 2 flaws. 1st the air does not point directly on the nozzle printed area (mistake measuring) and 2nd. The union of both parts it's a bit thin and it breaks easy if you don't remove it correctly, a bit of glue could fix that.

So, for the final design I'll:
- Make 40-50cm size for others fans. (this design it's for one fan I'm gonna use of 80cm)
- Improve the union of both parts so it's harder to break.

Here some photos of the final print, as planned the support its minimum and it printed quite nicely at 0.3, a bit of warp on the 0.3 wall size since this is printed on ABS so it can hold better the heat (PLA might melt). Also this might melt... Who knows I need to test it XD. At the worse case scenario this would make a really great fan since it grabs to the metal bars and behind the connectors so it might have very little or zero 'movement' while printing.

Next post, the final stage and some PLA printing with / without.

Post's attachments

IMG_2480.JPG
IMG_2480.JPG 553.9 kb, 2 downloads since 2015-02-03 

IMG_2483.JPG
IMG_2483.JPG 433.15 kb, file has never been downloaded. 

IMG_2484.JPG
IMG_2484.JPG 480.81 kb, file has never been downloaded. 

IMG_2486.JPG
IMG_2486.JPG 379.83 kb, file has never been downloaded. 

You don't have the permssions to download the attachments of this post.

8

Re: PLA print fan for 2.0A (working progress) for Curling on overhangs

Ok the fan it's finished

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:671135

This is my 80cm fan cooler for PLA printing. Specially for difficult prints that have overhangs, without a fan I wasn't able to keep the curlings out. Prior this I used a fan on the side but the air didn't reach evenly.

I used a 80cm fan, because that's what I got in hand. I had it usb connected directly to the printer, but I turned on after the 3-4 first layers, specially if they are the brim/rafts.

Print it on ABS (because the heat too close to the nozzles) and to avoid hard-to-remove supports, print it on slic3r/simplify3d at 90 degress (stl it's already rotated), so you don't get any supports inside the air-exit. If you print it flat you might have problems removing the supports.

Remember to keep the door open since it's the only area that it will hit.

The clip and fan have a really nice grip, on fast prints it stays put, but if there's too much x-y shake, it might move, it shouldn't.

Use it at your own risk.

The design it's inspired from http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:553792 by mordiev, but the measures and clip holder didn't did it for me so I have to start from the scratch.

Note: Both parts do 'clip' ok, but if you are going to print with it, please glue both parts to avoid surprises.

Extra note: I wont be improving this, since in a week or two I'll have an Ultimaker. If anyone on europe it's interested on my DaVinci 2.0A (no more than 60h printing time) for a really special sale price, just send me a msg.