Anet A8 extruder fan hinge with latch

thingiverse

I designed this accessory specifically for the Anet A8. Changing filament can be very challenging, especially for beginners, due to the difficulty in accessing the nozzle hole. Furthermore, if the filament breaks inside the heat sink, disassembling the fan and heat sink becomes necessary, which is a cumbersome process. This design eliminates that issue entirely, making it unnecessary to disassemble anything - simply open it! The addition of a latch also ensures stability during printing by preventing vibration. When assembling the latch, users can adjust its location as needed. In my case, I removed the heat sink and used PLA filament exclusively, setting the heating block temperature to 190 degrees Celsius. This design allows for the original heat sink to be reinstalled if desired; however, a hole must first be drilled into the nozzle block for the countersunk screw. The latch is particularly useful in this scenario as it helps prevent the heat sink from sticking to the nozzle block, while also providing a filament guide function. The hinge mechanism has been designed with a slot that allows easy removal of the fan power cable. To secure the mount in place, at least two holes are required - one above and one below the slot. The fan then fixes the mount into position. For assembly, users will need an M4 x 40mm countersunk screw and an M4 nut for hinge1 and hinge2, as well as an M4 x 10mm countersunk screw for the latch.