MK8 radial fan holder simple

thingiverse

This is a basic radial fan holder designed specifically for an MK8 extruder. The screw hole on my current extruder at the bottom, right next to it, hasn't been used, making it perfect for mounting a fan. Since the fan I chose, 50 x 50 mm (Type TFD-B5015M12B), fits perfectly in this space, I created a simple holder that can attach directly to the extruder. Air blown from the fan goes straight into the heating block, as recommended by online discussions. Printed with PLA, it improved print quality dramatically. After mounting the fan, my bridges and small details turned out smoother than ever before. This design is also in PLA, but I'm yet to test its durability under heavy ABS usage. I added a tiny hole near the most sensitive spot to monitor temperature while printing. As soon as I got my hands on this fan, I began using Slic3r's auto settings. Surprisingly, it made a huge difference in printing bridges and other tricky parts when working with PLA. The design itself is not flawless - a small portion of air escapes upwards instead of flowing into the heating block. That was an oversight during my initial creation, despite putting a lot of work into this project and two test prints failing to meet expectations. The version I've shared here, number three in total, has been working seamlessly for a month now. As such, I'm sharing it with all of you to enjoy.