Extruder barrel cooling duct for MK5-6 v6

thingiverse

Introducing a modified version of my previous extruder barrel cooling duct design (http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:8461). This new design is optimized for use with a 40mm fan, which may not fit within the 35mm gap between the two large sides of a standard MK5-6 extruder. I find that PLA prints better when cooled actively directly on the barrel itself. The provided STL file is for a replacement side panel for the extruder, identical to the original small acrylic piece but with an additional big rectangular hole for extra ventilation. The OpenSCAD design files are included, although the fan mount isn't fully parametric, allowing for adjustments like thickness variations. If you have a different fan, you might need to redesign the fan mount. The DXF file of the front acrylic panel was used to create a virtual extruder holder for alignment purposes. To install, follow these steps: remove the front acrylic panel and small left and right acrylic panels from the extruder holder; replace the right side with the large fan mount and cooling duct, the left side with the small hole-y side holder; reattach the front acrylic panel and tighten all screws. Connect the new fan (possibly using these fan connectors: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:8827), and enjoy easier PLA printing!