Extruder Cooling, Printrbot Simple V2

thingiverse

The filament guide on Simple Printrbots before October 2013 won't work on later models. The manufacturer modified this area, removing the removable filament guide and sealing its opening, which doesn't affect other fan mounts. To tackle heat issues above the hot end, I designed heat dissipation components. My extruder gear features a fan-mounted filament guide for easy access to top and side gears. Since installing it, no jam-related access has been necessary. The extruder motor required more power, so I added heat sinks and a fan, mounted using existing screw locations with longer screws. A fan also cools the Printrboard's motor drivers. Power for these fans comes from an old ATX supply that's always on. The benefits include no heat problems, but there's extra weight on the Y axis. However, this hasn't affected performance negatively; in fact, it has improved speed and reliability. The downside is slightly louder fans, but they provide strong airflow.