Leaf Blower Laser Smoke Extractor

thingiverse

I modified my Mostly Printed CNC Machine (MPCNC) by adding a laser and quickly realized I had to address the smoke issue. While browsing through Menards, I stumbled upon an ultra cheap electric leaf blower that caught my eye. It's not recommended for this purpose, but neither the manufacturer nor I will be held liable if it causes any damage or harm. The cheapest model available at the time was the iWorks WG506, priced around 15 US Dollars on sale. To make this work, I designed three 3D printed parts that might require tweaking if you have a different leaf blower. First, I removed the grill from the bottom of the blower to install the intake adapter, which fits snugly and sits just above the fan blades. The parts are designed for a 3.5-inch intake hole in the laser cabinet, so use a 3.5-inch hole saw to create it. It might be helpful to run a flexible hose from the intake to near the laser, similar to a dust shoe, but I haven't tried that yet. If you're in the US, you'll need 4-inch dryer exhaust pipe, an exterior dryer vent assembly, and a 4.25-inch hole saw to cut through the wall. I also used silicone adhesive to seal between the intake and cabinet, the output adapter and blower, and the exterior wall, with some expanding foam being useful for sealing gaps. The friction fit between the blower and intake seems sufficient, but you may need aluminum dryer vent tape to secure connections.