Vortex Fan Duct

thingiverse

This fan duct is designed to direct air around the nozzle's tip in a precise vortex pattern. This ensures efficient air delivery from all sides to the print. A 40mm blower fan provides ample airflow while being compact enough to sit next to the motor. This design will work seamlessly with any extruder mounted directly on a NEMA 17 motor, provided only that the mount is customized for a specific extruder and nozzle combination. The initial design includes mounts for a Bulldog Extruder, an MK8 M6x26mm heat break, and either a 21mm Volcano nozzle or a 13mm V6 nozzle. Please refer to our other design for a Bulldog Extruder Filament Guide: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3562567 Preparations: - Start the bed leveling procedure on the printer. - Measure the distance from the top of the print bed to the bottom of the carriage near the screws holding the extruder in place. - Choose a combination of fan duct and mount that matches the measured distance as closely as possible. For example, 17mm fan duct + 21mm mount = 38mm. This is the height of a volcano extruder when installed. - If the measured height deviates by ±1mm from the nearest combination, you can scale the mount height in your slicer. Printing: - Print a 40mm fan strap as-is without mirroring. - Print a fan duct and a mount with about 30% support touching the build plate. - Use design files for fan duct and mount as-is if the extruder gear is at the left of the nozzle and filament path. - Mirror these design files if the extruder gear is on the right side of the nozzle. Assembly: - Assemble the nozzle into the heat block, the heat block onto the MK8 M6x26mm heat break, and the heat break into the Bulldog Extruder. - Position the long part of the heat block under the motor. - Install a 40mm blower fan motor with strap. - Attach the fan duct to the extruder mount and the extruder mount onto the extruder. - When everything is assembled, the tip of the air tubes should be 2-3mm above the tip of the nozzle. If you want to design mounts for other extruders, refer to the last image for the angle and distances of the fan duct mounting holes. Updates: 2019-07-18 v2 symmetrical design, more flexibility in combinations of fan duct and mount.