FanDuct for Carl Raffle AluCarriage (updated)

thingiverse

---UPDATE--- Well, the PETG version didn't last too long unfortunately. It has a lower glass temp than ABS and goes soft sooner. While printing ABS with my bed at 90 inside a heated chamber the duct slowly warped over time and eventually contacted the bed during a print destroying it in the process. So... I did two things. First, I added a lot of reinforcement to the last model. I extended the side tabs to give more rigidity along its length. I also added material where the fans come in to reinforce that area. Then I added a small loop up top as an attachment in case I wasn't happy and wanted to tie it up somehow. Second... after some research, I decided to print the next duct in Poly-carbonate. I used Esun ePC specifically which is a blend with PETG. It has a higher glass temp than abs and is very strong in general. The new file is v21. I printed it at 60mm/sec with a .2mm layer height on a .6mm nozzle at .72mm extrusion width. This was with an all metal hot end upgraded extruder. I suspect an ABS version of this would ultimately work out fine if you can get your layer bonds to hold well or otherwise strengthen the part against cracking when it warps due to heat. I needed ePC for another project and had it on hand. ==ORIGINAL TEXT=========== I've upgraded my MonoPrice 3D printer with the Carl Raffle Aluminum Carriage. I was thrilled to find the active cooling fan duct by Dogm and had been using it for some time printed in ABS. Recently, I started printing PETG at hotter temperatures, and the ABS fan duct warped and cracked. Since I needed a new one anyway, I decided to take a stab at changing a few things I wanted to improve. 1.) The vertical tabs on the side needed to come in a few mm for a snug fit on the sides of the carriage. The duct as a whole was a bit too wide and would sometimes interfere with the homing switch on the upgraded aluminum x ends. This meant making the outermost air paths a bit narrower so it reduced airflow by a small amount. 2.) I beefed up the clip and reshaped it for a better fit. When screwed all the way in, it will pull the fan duct tightly to the carriage. Be careful as you can likely screw things together with enough force to break something. I also lengthened the front clip of the fan shroud to hold better. 3.) I moved the fans out about 3mm to give them some breathing room where they blow into the shroud in the hope that would improve their performance. Since I never used the screws to hold them in (friction fit works great for me), I removed the screw holes and added in pegs. 4.) I made the nut slot a touch wider to allow it to be pressed in without needing to be heated first. I'm currently printing this at .1mm layer height in black eSun PETG.