Recyclebot Cooling Fan Section: Difference between revisions

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Recyclebot Cooling Fan Section

Project developed by Aubrey Woern

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Abstract

1. This project is an upgrade on the current Recyclebot v5 cooling section. The previous design uses a top-down approach at cooling off the filament post extrusion, this was rather annoying to initially feed the filament through. To get rid of that issue, I created a way for the fans to permanently mount to the bottom and have the air funneled to the filament via a 3D printed shroud. This solution makes it easier to initially feed the filament through, while still gently cooling off the filament and the aluminum trough itself. This project is Appropriate because it is part of a machine that can be built for less than $600 and make filament that is comparable to that bought from a supplier. This fulfils the need for people to make their own filament at home and reduce costs and waste. Currently the MOST research group and the Open Source Hardware Enterprise use Recyclebots to make their own filament for research purposes and this upgrade will make it easier for them to do so in the future.

Bill of Materials

FreeCAD files and STL Files can be found at: https://www.youmagine.com/designs/recyclebot-cooling-fan-section

Printed Parts ~ 150 grams of plastic - $3.75

1. (4x) Cooling Trough Fan Shroud (Printed)
2. (2x) Trough Holder Bottom (Printed)
3. (2x) Trough Holder Top (Printed)
4. (4x) 50mm DC Fans - $27.96 - https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835119100&ignorebbr=1&cm_re=50mm_Case_Fan-_-35-119-100-_-Product
5. (8x) M4X25mm Bolts - $0.90 - https://www.mcmaster.com/#91274a122/=16mjmn4
6. (4x) M3X16mm Bolts - $0.34 - https://www.mcmaster.com/#91290a120/=18c5181
7. (4x) M3 nuts - $0.03 - https://www.mcmaster.com/#90592a085/=16mnrjv
8. (1x) 1" Aluminum Trough - $2.59 - https://www.mcmaster.com/#8982k4/=18c4kdv

Total Cost: $35.20

Tools needed for fabrication of the OSAT

1. MOST Delta RepRap or similar RepRap 3-D printer
2. Allen Wrench (For M5 and M3 Bolts)
3. Soldering Iron and Solder

Skills and Knowledge Necessary to Make the OSAT

• Soldering - https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/references/how-to-solder

Technical Specifications and Assembly Instructions

1. Print all parts ~ 5 hours
2. Start Assembly ~ Should take about 10 minutes.
3. Mount the fans with stickers facing the Fan Shroud printed parts with (2x) M4X25 bolts in each corner, thread into the plastic part.
4. Slide Fan-Shroud Assembly onto the aluminum trough.
5. Assemble the Trough Holders with (4x) M3X16mm bolts and (4x) M3 Nuts, (2x) for each holder.
6. Screw Trough Holders to Recyclebot frame, careful to align the fan shrouds where you want them. The trough holders can get in the way of sliding the fan shrouds back and forth.
7. Place trough, with fans on it, on top of the trough holders that are screwed into the recyclebot frame.

Common Problems and Solutions

• Make sure to align the fan shrouds to avoid the trough holders. The holders can get in the way of putting the shroud all the way on.

Cost savings

1. Cost to build: $35.20
2. Filabot Fan Cooling: $649.00 - https://www.filabot.com/collections/filabot-core/products/filabot-airpath
3. Savings of $613.80 or 94%

Benefited Internet Communities

• Name and add links to at least 5 using single brackets around [url name]

References

• Woern, A.L.; McCaslin, J.R.; Pringle, A.M.; Pearce, J.M. RepRapable Recyclebot: Open source 3-D printable extruder for converting plastic to 3-D printing filament. HardwareX 2018, 4, e00026.