Wanhao Duplicator 6 Air Inducement Duct by Reflector

Last crawled date: 3 years ago

Edit: Offset fan version for anyone interestedhttps://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2448580
I tried printing an air inducement shroud for the Duplicator 6 but it was:
Far, far too thin all over
Square in the channel profile (How is this good for airflow?)
Relatively fragile during removal
Slic3r hated it (It also hates what I made so this is OK)
Something about printing another one of them and then trying to remove it from the bed unsuccessfully, again.
With that, I wanted to see if it actually worked. I'm still unsure if it does because I should probably use the latest version of Cura and see if it'll do that thing where it freaks out, makes walls too thin and whatnot.
So you get to have my DFAM optimized version of the Son of Air Inducement Duct, with:
Thick overengineered skookum as frig walls so it doesn't disintegrate when you whip out your woodworking chisel and start slamming it down to try to separate it from the bed. No seriously just try bending the thing if you print it out. Alternatively attempting to crush the profile of the airflow channel with a finger and thumb works as a way to determine grip strength and optionally personal insecurity.
A tiny little divot that connects the gap at the opposing end so the thing isn't SO FRAGILE as to fall apart after you lift it off the bed.
Nice, round fillets everywhere so your machine won't have to slam on the emergency brakes and make a maximum instanteous acceleration in another direction, making it vibrate and generally slow the print down constantly. Why this is known in the machinist world and not in the 3D printing world is beyond me.
A "stop drooping when I try to bridge a tiny little gap" feature in the middle of the area where the fan is supposed to mount*. I doubt it messes with airflow too much given it sits right below the motor hub and airflow goes to the two tubes anyway.
Even more fillets everywhere because stress points and relative notchiness is NFG in plastics.
Extra thickened structure, because that tiny square profile cannot be the answer to airflow. Instead you get a nice tubular channel that resembles a P in profile for the downward channel component. Who knew that level of recursion could occur. Oh wait printing 3D printer parts with a 3D printer and all.
Have I mentioned the whole rounded, filleted all over thing that seems to help with printing it as well as the round cross section for airflow?
*And with any luck, you will probably see a new version of this design (eventually™**) that actually OFFSETS the fan so its not trying to suck air from an area that has a plate and cavitate like a drowning adult that's never been in a body of hopefully fresh water but has inexplicably become irrationally thirsty and proceeds to do a drowning kind of an interpretive dance in a body of water.. That could mean that puny little stock fan might become suddenly useful. Wishful thinking and all.
**https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2445979
A full disclosure: I don't claim to know anything about thermoprinterfluidnomics. I just had some real personal issues on a miserably humid and hot day in trying to get a better fan shroud that doesn't require me to find and buy a new fan then print a new shroud so I put my energy into making a clean room "derivative" that solves my personal issues. I still think I am expressing those personal issues as I upload this but go ahead and watch this if you want to eventually see an improved version or have extraordinarily high amounts of overwhelming positivity, hopefulness and excessively high amounts of sloth.
A warning: You will lose a little bit of print area in the left corner (Perspective: You facing the printer) if you use these ducts, they will bump the motor. They effectively take about 1 inch/2-3cm, as in the legs of a triangle more or less. Obviously you have more to lose if you stick anything like a heatsink onto your steppers.