High-tech Koozie (customizable)

thingiverse

There will be no more updates to this page. [Go to the new GitHub page for the latest updates.](https://github.com/DrLex0/print3d-high-tech-koozie) This is the customizable version of the original High-Tech Soda Can Cooler, exactly the same design with a few refinements, but now you can generate models in Customizer for any size of can or bottle as long as its lower part is a perfect cylinder. If Customizer is broken yet again on the Thingiverse website, here are instructions to run it on your own computer: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2812634 The idea behind this cooler or koozie relies on the can or bottle itself to seal the air inside with no inner shell, minimizing material needed hence lighter weight and minimal contact area with plastic that maximally relies on air for insulation - air is a better thermal insulator than most if not all plastics. To further improve insulation, the zone between the can and outer walls is divided into horizontal compartments to reduce convection. When creating your own model in Customizer, the most important parameters are the diameter of the can and its height you want to be covered by the koozie. Accurately measuring the diameter or looking it up in specification sheets from can or bottle manufacturers will ensure a tight fit without pushing or tugging on the can. The JSON file contains presets with accurate diameters that can be loaded in the customizer interface inside OpenSCAD. The air gap determines the distance between the outside of the can/bottle and outer wall, set to 4-5 mm for optimal insulation; more will obviously offer better results but also makes it fatter and unwieldy. This works equally well with rigid and flexible filaments, a flexible filament recommended for robustness. A koozie for the SIGG bottle in photos was printed with rigid.ink flexible PLA. Depending on what material you print in, compensate for shrinkage of the material when it cools down after printing by slightly scaling up the model or generating it with either a larger tolerance or larger diameter. Flexible filaments tend to shrink considerably but since they're flexible, it usually isn't too bad if the model is slightly too tight. To avoid spending hours on a print and then noticing it's too tight or sloppy, the customizer has an option test_slice that will generate a minimal model that can be quickly printed for testing the fit.