Berd-Air Tube Bender (3 mm)

thingiverse

Tried to build my own "Berd-Air"-style tube. Since there are no tube benders available on Thingiverse that allow bending a 360° circle, I had to design one myself. The process of bending is quite simple: 1. Things you need: - aluminum tube (3mm OD) - screws: - 1 x M3 x 10 mm - 1 x M3 x 20 mm - 1 x M3 nut (not necessary) - 2 x M6 screws (as lever) - drill (I used a 1.5mm drill bit) - pliers - and a 3D printer, of course! 2. Things to print: - 1 x U-shape - 1 x retainer - 2 x wheel big - 1 x wheel small - drilling template (the one you like; I used template 1 with an angle of 45° to align the drill more easily) 3. Assembling: - Clamp the end of the tube with pliers to prevent air leaks - Mount the tube bender as shown in the picture. The large wheel consists of two parts to facilitate disassembly at full bend. - Bend the tube 4. Drilling holes: - I calculated that the optimal drilling angle should be 18.4 degrees. However, I found a problem: At this angle, a lot of air escapes towards the hotend and affects the printing temperature. After testing different angles, I found that 45° is the best compromise between temperature stability and cooling. If you like my design, please leave a thumbs up or comment if you have an idea to improve it! edit: - I added a retainer with vise mount. This part might be a bit more difficult to print. - I ordered pumps from Pollin Electronics in Germany: - 12V version: https://www.pollin.de/p/luftpumpe-daypower-lp36-12-12-v-330071 - 24V version: https://www.pollin.de/p/luftpumpe-daypower-lp36-24-24-v-330072