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thingiverse

UPDATE 04/27/17 Build photos have been added. UPDATE 04/18/17 Build photos have been added. This device is designed to mount a 120mm 230v axial fan onto an 80mm aluminum tube using an offset bracket. Recently, I acquired another small tabletop injection molding machine, and it's experiencing issues with heat traveling up the melting cylinder and prematurely pre-melting plastic pellets before extrusion. As a result, the cylinder is not extruding, and plastic pellets get lodged in the cylinder. To resolve this issue, I'm attempting to decrease heat buildup and prevent heat from entering the cold area non-melt zone of the barrel. I've decided to use items I have lying around my lab first before considering other options. Eventually, I will mill out a water jacket and use a Peltier cooling block with external cooling fans. For now, this forced air cooling setup should provide a worthwhile temporary solution. Only experiments and tests can confirm or dismiss its effectiveness. The two fan setup will be working in a push-pull arrangement to force cool air around the barrel and remove excessive heat buildup. All metal 120mm server fans will be used for this project because they are well-suited to the industrial nature of my machine and are more powerful than their 12v counterparts. Additionally, no power supply unit is required. I'm currently in the process of printing parts and waiting for them to arrive. Once I've completed testing, photos and videos of my findings will be posted. This design should help alleviate a common problem experienced by many small tabletop machines that suffer from premature melting prior to extrusion. My machine's extrusion barrel measures 38mm, so I'll be drilling out the hole in the aluminum tube to 40mm to account for heat expansion and allow for slight barrel movement. A 120mm fan grill cover is used in this design: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1595208/#files - Thanks, Kevin293! Enjoy, Print Settings: Printer Brand: Prusa Printer: Prusa Clone Rafts: No Supports: No Resolution: 0.3 Infill: 10% Notes: Printed with an E3D volcano hotend and a 1.2mm nozzle