Prusa i3 blower fan upgrade

thingiverse

### Update 19/11/2018: I am thrilled with the results of testing this upgrade and have made adjustments to ensure that the duct blows air directly onto the printed surface, yielding beautiful prints with PLA material. There is still room for improvement in duct design, but it works perfectly so far. 18/11/2018: At present, I have not fully tested this design, but I have printed the necessary parts and installed them on my printer. They seem to be functioning properly, although I need your input if you test it out. ### Description I was dissatisfied with the standard cooling fan that came with my Prusa i3 3D printer from 3dprintingstore.co.za. It obstructed my view of the nozzle and print progress, often getting in the way. Moreover, it frequently clashed with prints, resulting in failed prints for me. I also found its cooling abilities to be inadequate. To address these issues, I designed this fan duct and mount to allow for a 50mm blower fan to be installed on the x-carriage. This upgrade should effectively resolve the problems associated with the original cooling fan/duct. The design allows you to simply remove the acrylic part and replace it with this new one. The duct then mounts directly to the support using an M3 screw and nut. Remember to transfer the x end stop screw, so that your carriage doesn't tram into the side when you use your printer again. ### Printing I printed this upgrade with support touching only the build plate, and bridging worked fine for the rest of the print. ### You might also be interested in my other upgrades for this printer. * Minimalist Direct Drive Extruder - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3224826 * Carriage Cable Management Arm - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3224881 * Prusa i3 Bltouch Upgrade - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3225007