Parametric Hero Me Dual 5015 Duct

thingiverse

Update 2020-04-19: Mediaman is working on an updated version of the base for Gen 4 and has shared some useful insights with me. To address the performance issues I was experiencing with the dual 5015 fan setup, I've been experimenting with different designs to improve airflow. I decided to create a new STL file using openSCAD that would work with the Hero Me system's duct design. My primary goal was to make the mounting angle of the fans adjustable, which I believed would lead to better internal air routing and reduced obstruction from the base and other accessories. In the process of writing this code, I created generalised libraries for projecting polygons along spline paths, which I used to generate all the curves in both the interior and exterior of the duct. However, I encountered several rendering issues and openSCAD bugs due to the complex nature of the design. I'm still waiting to print the new STL file, but my simulation testing has shown promising results. The current design is efficient enough that I can run the fans at 30% to prevent excessive cooling of the hot end. I plan to create a version using both a single 5015 fan and a single stock fan in the near future. Update: 2019-03-27: I've been working on some code cleanup to make my openSCAD program more compatible with other systems. Once I've completed this, I'll post my latest version of the duct design as well as the code itself. This will allow others to visualise and potentially improve upon my work. Update: 2019-03-15: I've been tweaking the airflow and nozzle design to achieve better performance. The current V4 STL files are now the most up-to-date versions, and I'm planning to model the actual airflow next. In the meantime, I'm testing things with temperature towers at various fan speeds to see what works best. Update: 2019-03-12: When printing this design, I noticed that the original ducts were too square-shaped. To address this, I revised the cross-section polygons to make them a bit rounder, which may even improve airflow and aesthetics. The V2 STL files now contain these updated shapes. Original post: I'm a big fan of the Hero Me system's design, particularly its base. However, when using the dual 5015 fan version, I found that performance wasn't meeting my expectations. To fix this, I decided to create an openSCAD program to generate a Hero Me compatible duct. My primary goal was to make the mounting angle of the fans adjustable, which I hypothesised would lead to better internal air routing and reduced obstruction from the base and other accessories. Unfortunately, the original design is created in tinkercad, making it difficult to export useful file formats. Through a long process of measurement and coding, I've managed to create an openSCAD program that generates a Hero Me compatible duct. My simulation testing has shown promising results, and I'm eager to share my work with others once I've refined the design further. I'd like to thank Mediaman for his helpful insights and Kelokera for creating the original design.