Duplicator 4 Active Cooling (40mm x 20mm Blower)

thingiverse

This Active Cooling System is designed specifically for the Wanhao Duplicator 4 series and Flashforge models. This version has been modified to accommodate blower type fans that are 40mm in size (24V), 20mm thick, though a 10mm thickness would likely also work well. UPDATE! (V2) Hey guys, if you've already downloaded the previous duct, please redownload V2. I noticed there were some issues with the fan position being too high that it hit the casing when the extruder was homed in. This problem has been corrected in V2, which now sits below the case with a small gap space. Additionally, I have moved the fan bracket to the bottom, eliminating the need for supports. Note that the three holes on the screw mounts are significantly smaller than the fan's screw holes, so use woodscrews (screws with sharp ends) and screw them into the screw mounts securely fasten the fan. The entire vent has been redesigned so that the fan sits comfortably on top of it. This design is vastly superior to the first version. Why Active Cooling? Mostly, when dealing with insufficient heat, the solution is simple: increase the temperature (bed/nozzle), or wall up the printer sides to retain heat. While increasing heat can help with bed adhesion and extrusion, plastic also needs time to cool down properly to layer and bridge. If you notice areas in your print where lines are drooping or bowing upwards, it means that your plastic isn't cooling down fast enough. Active Cooling Helps Active Cooling enables the plastic to cool down much quicker, making longer bridging distances possible. Also, when printing at higher speeds, Active Cooling allows layers to harden before the next layer is printed. Without Active Cooling, your nozzle could press against the previous still molten layer, causing it to bow up and ruin the print. Wiring the Active Cooling 3rd Fan There's a tutorial on how to wire the fan in the 5th image panel, however this is just a suggestion. I added this because other active cooling projects didn't detail much on this, and I had to figure it out for myself. As for why this is a suggestion, this method is just tapping off power from the motherboard fan to power your AC fan. This means that it's always on, regardless of printer states. This is sufficient for active cooling, but you might want to explore further transferring the wires to the extra fan port, enabling you to control the fan using gcode. Printing Settings Without ACS, it's better to print with supports. I went with 0.2mm with 30% infill.