Prusa/Makergear Easy Filament Cooler
by ScribbleJ, published
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Description
This is a simple way to cool your filament post-extrusion making tricky prints a little easier.
Yes, it's a bit ugly... I'd bet yours could be cleaner, I'm just always in a hurry.
It works - although I had a bit of a struggle to get great comparison photos, since things printed pretty well with it on and off. Definitely better on, though!
BE CAREFUL! I haven't used this long-term and I don't know if the silicone tubing will stand up to heat over time. I might put a layer of actual insulation between the tube and hot end (ZOLTEK! PYRON!)...
I do know the tubing deformed on the first print, but it just made it fit the hot end better, it didn't melt or burn... so might be OK even without the insulation.
BEFORE/AFTER PHOTO NOTES:
* Printed on my Prusa, using a Makergear .35mm hot end.
* Using 25-50mm/sec acceleration in Sprinter firmware.
Yes, it's a bit ugly... I'd bet yours could be cleaner, I'm just always in a hurry.
It works - although I had a bit of a struggle to get great comparison photos, since things printed pretty well with it on and off. Definitely better on, though!
BE CAREFUL! I haven't used this long-term and I don't know if the silicone tubing will stand up to heat over time. I might put a layer of actual insulation between the tube and hot end (ZOLTEK! PYRON!)...
I do know the tubing deformed on the first print, but it just made it fit the hot end better, it didn't melt or burn... so might be OK even without the insulation.
BEFORE/AFTER PHOTO NOTES:
* Printed on my Prusa, using a Makergear .35mm hot end.
* Using 25-50mm/sec acceleration in Sprinter firmware.
Recent Comments
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Yes, that's real frost, and the room is 20deg C.
I'm not telling here how this photo came about. Those of you on IRC already know how I got ULTIMATE COOLING.
This has been hooked up to my Prusa since I posted the Thing. Whether I plug it in or leave it off, nothing has melted or caught fire.
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Instructions
REQUIREMENTS:
1) Aquarium pump
2) Silicone aquarium tubing
3) Bits of kapton tape or other high-temperature tape
I think you can get an idea how it goes from the photos. The only tricky things I did were:
* Cut a notch into the side of the tube facing the hot end, so it can be pulled a little closer in and angled more by the kapton
* Make an effort to angle the ends in a bit, by applying the kapton in a sort of V pattern.
* Make sure you've got a bit of clearance above the hot end! You don't need much.
* Where the kapton is not directly supporting something, think of it like the skirt on a hovercraft. It will be full of swirling air; take advantage of this.
* Angle each tube end /very slightly/ clockwise or counterclockwise to maximize the air vortex created under the kapton skirt.
1) Aquarium pump
2) Silicone aquarium tubing
3) Bits of kapton tape or other high-temperature tape
I think you can get an idea how it goes from the photos. The only tricky things I did were:
* Cut a notch into the side of the tube facing the hot end, so it can be pulled a little closer in and angled more by the kapton
* Make an effort to angle the ends in a bit, by applying the kapton in a sort of V pattern.
* Make sure you've got a bit of clearance above the hot end! You don't need much.
* Where the kapton is not directly supporting something, think of it like the skirt on a hovercraft. It will be full of swirling air; take advantage of this.
* Angle each tube end /very slightly/ clockwise or counterclockwise to maximize the air vortex created under the kapton skirt.
Just for the record, I just finished a 3hour plus print and it's still fine, so I don't believe it's going to burn or melt down.
This has been hooked up to my Prusa since I posted the Thing. Whether I plug it in or leave it off, nothing has melted or caught fire.