60mm fan duct for UP Plus2 and Afinia

thingiverse

I have been trying out various fans in an effort to reduce the temperature of my UP Plus2 printer's step motor. I gave a 40mm fan duct found on thingiverse a shot, but unfortunately, its design was pretty poor. While the model itself printed well, the author didn't seem to put much thought into fluid dynamics. I used a high-quality 40 mm fan and discovered that airflow around the step motor was really low due to the duct's internal design: airflow is not constant; it depends on pressure - if the pressure at the fan exit is high, flow will be significantly reduced. Translation: air needs an adequate escape route or outlet. I decided to create my own fan duct instead of using the 40 mm fan I purchased. Switching to a 60 mm fan increased airflow by 50% dramatically. Why do you need a fan? I had trouble when printing with certain PLA (most brands) and noticed that the step motor was extremely hot, softening the PLA before it should and thus preventing it from advancing ("clack, clack, clack" noise - you probably know what I mean). I haven't tried many PLA brands yet, but those I have tested seem to work fine. So perhaps something has improved in this area. Print Settings Notes: I have included two versions of the same model: one STL contains the full model and the other has the model divided into two parts that must be glued together later. Gluing the two parts is a good idea if you want to avoid too many supports needed for the whole piece. I printed it with ABS, which allows for a higher temperature (it will be very close to the extruder). Post-Printing After printing, all you have to do is screw in the fan. I recommend unplugging or switching off the 60mm fan if you print with ABS. The duct is designed to lower the motor's temperature, but the output airflow may slightly cool the ambient temperature surrounding the printed piece. So to avoid warping... just switch it off.