K40 extraction fan upgrade

thingiverse

A common complaint about most K40 laser cutter/engraver machines sold on eBay is that the fan is basically useless. They are correct, as the provided fan doesn't mount correctly to the machine, leaves large air gaps, and doesn't even move a decent amount of air. Instead of throwing the fan out, I decided to take it apart and found that the fan motor is actually of decent quality! Based solely on this motor, I could salvage it by creating an enclosure for it with new fan blades to use as a fume extraction solution. I use this fan at the end of my exhaust system so that air is being sucked away from the laser. This creates negative pressure inside the exhaust duct so that if there are any leaks, it will be sucking air in from the workspace, not pushing fumes out into the workspace. [Performance video](https://youtu.be/O1QlIzjmHG4)