Post drive gear filament guide and fan mount for the Qu-Bd Two-Up or One-Up

thingiverse

I was eager to experiment with printing using flexible filament, but my Qu-Bd "up" machine's wide open gap between the drive gear and extruder nozzle made that impossible due to its size limitation. This new component eliminates that problem by offering a passage for the filament. Additionally, I recently bought a fan designed to prevent overheating of the drive "chamber", which previously led to disastrous situations when left unchecked, so I decided to add a mount for this specific fan: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E37LSE8/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=. Although reviews warn of potential issues, my little fan has continued to operate efficiently for over a year without complications. I sourced 5v power from an old cell phone charger. NOTE! Upon closer examination, it appears that due to the close fit required between the guide tube and the actual size of the filament, retracting PLA is extremely difficult nearly impossible. Therefore, I strongly advise against using this mod with PLA because when the material plugs up at the end, it expands to be wider than 2mm, which cannot pass through the hole. If you encounter this issue, I've discovered that carefully removing the mod while still attached to a partially clipped filament works successfully. As an alternative solution, flexible filaments have not displayed similar plugging issues and might be used safely in conjunction with this mod, possibly also applicable for ABS as well. One other thing I observed during my printing experiment is minor heat distortion in my PLA parts; although these signs of degradation have had little impact on usability so far. However, after a few extensive 3+ hour prints, it generally performed admirably, maintaining quality print consistency and holding shape reasonably well. Printing Details: To create this assembly, I utilized a layer height of .2mm with a moderate infill of 25%, printing exclusively with PLA as the chosen material. It is advisable to drill out the tube for smoother surface conditions before applying any new modifications, especially while handling flexible materials to avoid jams in the extruder chamber. When dealing specifically with flexible filament: I recommend you operate at slower rates during the process and pay close attention not to get your initial layers too near the print bed; always remember proper temperature management when printing with such materials as failure to do so can result in substantial material congestion and drive unit blockage within.