Orion-Style Blower Duct for Underslung E3D v6 Hot Ends

[626Pilot]

[img]http://thingiverse-production.s3.amazon ... atured.jpg[/img]

I prefer to mount my E3D under the effector. It's way easier to see what it's doing, and it seems to jam a lot less as well. Of course, for the best PLA prints, you need part cooling. I like the little squirrel cage blowers SeeMeCNC uses for the Orion's part cooling, so after looking at how they did the blower holders for the Orion, I designed my own.

Get the blower duct STL here. You'll need to print three of them. I recommend a layer height of 0.1mm and a speed of 20mm/sec. If you do this, they should come out perfect with no supports.

After that, run an overhang test to see what you can get away with without supports. I got 65 degrees of overhang reliably, with no curl or bulging on the underside. I think that's pretty good! Team this up with an LED ring and your Rostock will look even more like it came from outer space.

[Eaglezsoar]

Thanks for posting this.
I have been looking for a layer fan that would work with the E3D V6 that is mounted under the effector.
Thanks!

[bvandiepenbos]

nice fan shrouds.

Another option is extending the stock SeeMe blower shroud down with a piece of M3 threaded rod or long bolt.
That is what I did one my Orion as a "quickie" ...but it works good, so it will likely stay that way.
I also like the ability to turn fans side to side to direct air in just the right location and to avoid cooling heater block.

[626Pilot]

Haha, that would have saved me some time. I like it. The airflow profile between the stock duct and mine is similar, but the exhaust aperture is smaller on mine. So, my shroud should have higher exit velocity but less direct coverage. Have you run an overhang calibration test? I printed an overhang flower yesterday (.2 layers, 60mm/sec). Everything is perfectly smooth up to 60 degrees. At 65 the outer edge bows up a little, probably the filament being cooled too quickly. There is a little roughness on the underside at 70, more at 75 and 80 but still passable. At 85 there is a strand of filament hanging down off the end, and at 90 there is a lot of spaghetti but the top surface is smooth.

I have also been running with different fan speeds. On the outer loops I have the fans at 100%, although maybe 85-90% would be better for preventing top surface bowing. For infill I have the fans go down to 60%, enough to contribute further cooling to the part without blasting it. I think this will help keep the duty cycle on the hot end down, which should make jamming and stringing less likely. While fan air isn't directly washing the heater block, once it bounces off the surface/whatever's being printed, it becomes turbulent and moves in all directions.

[Eaglezsoar]

nice fan shrouds.

Another option is extending the stock SeeMe blower shroud down with a piece of M3 threaded rod or long bolt.
That is what I did one my Orion as a "quickie" ...but it works good, so it will likely stay that way.
I also like the ability to turn fans side to side to direct air in just the right location and to avoid cooling heater block.

Trick Laser-Prometheus hot end on Orion with fans.jpg

That looks like an interesting concept Brian. Which of the many layer shrouds did you end up using?
Thanks!
EDIT: Are you running the E3D V6 on the Orion? It is hard to tell from the picture.