Variable Fan Vent

thingiverse

The Variable Fan Vent is designed to fit a standard 40mm cooling fan perfectly. - First, print two vent halves and one knob. - Next, place the knob between the two halves and then attach the vent to the intake of a 40mm fan using either the fan's mounting screws or slightly longer screws if they're too short. Once mounted, twist the knob to open and close the vent. There are four openings around the edge of the vent that allow some air to flow even when the vents are closed. The vent also helps reduce fan noise while printing. *Important note*: If not properly attached, parts may vibrate. The Variable Fan Vent was designed after I got and assembled the 2018 version of the Zonestart Z5M2 (new edition) color mixing printer. With many great features, the hotend design has a slight problem with airflow. The fan for the cooling / filament feed chamber tends to affect the hotend temperature, delaying heating and making it difficult to reach print temp. Stopping the fan wasn't an option because it would cause the filament to melt in the feeder. Instead of stopping the fan, I chose to regulate the air intake, even completely blocking off, the fan can still circulate air around the cooling chamber of the feeder, keeping it cool enough to print for long periods of time. Limiting the airflow also reduces the impact on hotend temperature, allowing the hotend to heat in a shorter period of time, increasing overall print times. This also reduces the need to preheat the hotend, which normally took 10 to 15 minutes, now around 3 to 5 min.