Advanced Drill Dust Collector for Vacuum Cleaners

thingiverse

Please check out the new <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3237813"><I>Bigfoot</I></a> version! [Updates: see below] This dust collector is optimized for standard vacuum cleaners and suitable for small 3D printers. It sticks to the wall, freeing your hands for drilling holes. There are several related devices on Thingiverse, but they didn't work well for me. Either the connection was too close to the wall or they didn't adhere firmly on rough surfaces. So I designed one from scratch. It fits vacuum tubes with 35 mm outer diameter, which is common in Europe, especially for wet/dry utility vacuum cleaners. If you need different dimensions, please let me know. This dust collector has several unique features: 1. It has excellent adhesion even on rough and uneven walls. This is achieved by the design features: - A thin "skirt" surrounds the device, reducing leakage. - The skirt is flexible, adapting to shallow bumps and dents. - A large effective adhesion area contributes to the vacuum region. - A separated vacuum pocket at the back prevents the device from being easily detached by normal forces or tilting. 2. It's easy to print. No support structures are needed. PLA is a good choice. Just print it in "upright" orientation (see stl file). 3. It's suitable for very small 3D printers. The size in any direction doesn't exceed 100 mm. 4. It keeps a distance between the vacuum hose and the wall, making it suited for vacuum cleaners with a larger fitting piece behind the connector tube ("thickening", see first photo). 5. Airflow cross section is optimized, with no major constrictions where air must be "squeezed through". 6. It's lightweight, weighing only ~ 34 g of material. 7. I tried to give it an attractive design, although this is certainly a matter of taste. It somehow reminds me of a hovercraft vehicle! UPDATE 2018/03/10: Added file "AdvDustCollector_35mm_tightFit.stl". If the outer diameter of the vacuum connection tube is exactly 35mm (not 35.5mm as in my case), this will fit better. UPDATE 2018/11/27: Added link to new <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3237813"><I>Bigfoot</I></a> version of this thing (thing 3237813). Some hints: The only critical part during printing is the topmost region of the thin skirt, which needs some time for cooling. Using a minimum of ~ 10 - 15 s layer time (in slicer settings) worked fine and hardly affects the total duration. 20% filling is recommended. I used a 0.4 mm nozzle and 0.2 mm layer thickness. If you need a slightly different diameter of the vacuum connection, you can simply scale the thing along the xy-directions (or in all directions if space allows).