Radial print cooling fans for a Prusa i3

thingiverse

I recently finished assembling a CoreXY printer, but my next challenge was figuring out how to mount some essential 50mm radial fans for print cooling directly underneath my hotend. My initial bright idea involved attaching them vertically alongside the hotend - only to find that they didn't quite fit due to the existing design limitations. Luckily, I soon realized that these fans would work perfectly well with a Prusa i3 printer, which inspired me to share this DIY solution with the 3D printing community through a Thingiverse presentation. It's worth noting that these brackets are designed to be highly adaptable and can be easily modified by changing various parameters in the accompanying SCAD files. The nozzle width, for instance, can also be adjusted within its SCAD file if needed. This thoughtfully crafted design even sparked a related solution for my own CoreXY setup, which can now be found here: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1178809. On a later update in February 2016, I encountered an unexpected issue with these highly efficient fans. Running them at speeds over 50% would chill the nozzle to a point where it would stay well below the desired temperature for printing extruded plastic. In response to this problem, I designed and added a specially crafted air duct that redirects most of the airflow down by approximately 45 degrees, avoiding the hot-end nozzle block altogether. **Printing Settings** - Printer: Prusa i3 - Rafts: None - Supports: None - Resolution: Either 0.2mm or 0.3mm - Infill: 100% **Notes** When printing these brackets and nozzles, I used PLA for the former while relying on ABS for the latter due to its proximity to the hotend. **Post-Printing Steps** 1. Fix one end of a chosen bracket under the underside of the hot-end mount with an M4 bolt that's likely longer than what came originally fitted. 2. Slide each fan into place by securing their top screw mounts within their respective brackets and lock them using additional M4 screws and nuts. 3. Gently push each nozzle until they snap securely into their mounting positions on either side (apply a tiny drop of glue, if necessary), pointing them precisely towards the bed in front of your hotend's nozzle block. 4. Finally, tighten those nozzles firmly into place and ensure they remain secured to prevent accidental loosening or damage during prints. Your cooling system is now fully set up!