My thoughts on when and where to use cooling fans

[Domenick]

After reading many posts and documents I think that cooling fans are used differently depending on the material. I have a Replicator Dual and have seen fan adapters for directing air at the nozzle area and I have seen shrouds that keep air from the nozzle area.

Someone tell me if I have this right or I am totally wrong. Any and all comments are welcome but facts are the best.

ABS  (goes from a solid to gooey state, like a taffy stick will droop when heated, during extrusion)

1. Shielding the airflow from the nozzle extrusion area helps to keep the project warm reducing warping and increasing quality.
2. Enclosing the bot helps to keep drafts, which creates temp changes at the nozzle making inconsistent extrusion of the ABS.
3. ABS shrinks as it cools so you want to allow it to cool as slowly as possible.

PLA (goes from a solid to liquid state, like ice changes to water, during extrusion)

1.      Blowing the air onto the nozzle extrusion area cools the extruded material quicker keeping the PLA from “dripping” creating poor results.

2.      Enclosing the bot helps to keep drafts, which creates temp changes at the nozzle making inconsistent extrusion of the PLA.

PLA doesn’t shrink as much as it cools because like water turning to ice it holds its shape of the container its in.

[Jon Daniels]

Having gone from an open replicator with a mod to block airflow to the nozzle, to an enclosed replicator with a duct directing fan airflow at the nozzle, I can say it made a big improvement in my print quality. I'm using ABS. It's especially apparent with small prints, overhangs, and sharp corners.

[Domenick]

John,
I enclosed my Replicator Dual and changed to Sailfish firmware and RepG - Sailfish and found a big improvement, but look at
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:32660
and tell me what you think.

[funmakerBart]

Struggling with same at the same time....

I don't understand the reason of fans in the toolhead of the Replicator 

https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/makerbot/YxxNBF56NM8

Was designing clip-on redirectors of the airflow for PLA 

Bart

Op vrijdag 16 november 2012 15:06:57 UTC+1 schreef Domenick het volgende:

[Bottleworks]

I've found that for ABS, a full enclosure and block the extruder fans from blowing on the work is the best.  I don't have warp and my prints stick 100%.  I often have issue with removing the work because it's stick so well.  When I first got the replicator, it was virtually worthless until I made those changes.  I don't have any interest in PLA, so this experience doesn't apply for PLA. 

[Domenick]

Can anyone tell me where do you find Sailfish's Deprime Functionality is?

On Friday, November 16, 2012 9:06:57 AM UTC-5, Domenick wrote:

[Dan Newman]

Domenick wrote:
> Can anyone tell me where do you find Sailfish's Deprime Functionality is?

1. From RepG 39 - Sailfish or RepG 40 - Sailfish, connect over USB to
the bot.
2. Invoke Machine > Onboard Preferences
3. Look in the "Misc" tab (or maybe it's the "Acceleration (Advanced)" tab).

Dan

[Domenick]

Don't see it there.

[Dan Newman]

On 16 Nov 2012 , at 3:58 PM, Domenick wrote:

Don't see it there.

First image: Replicator.

Second image: Thing-o-Matic

Both from ReplicatorG 40 - Sailfish using Machine > Onboard Preferences.

Dan

[Domenick]

Duh :( I must of looked at that 100 times but as an engineer I never saw it. Thanks.

 

I have Rep 039 - Sailfish, with the Replicator Dual that I have should I have downloaded rep 040 - Sailfish? Is there a difference?

 

Domenick

[Dan Newman]

On 16 Nov 2012 , at 6:08 PM, Domenick wrote:

> Duh :( I must of looked at that 100 times but as an engineer I never saw
> it. Thanks.
>
> I have Rep 039 - Sailfish, with the Replicator Dual that I have should I
> have downloaded rep 040 - Sailfish? Is there a difference?

Yes. Don't bother using RepG 40 (of any flavor) if you have a Replicator 1.
There's no benefit and there's hoops you have to jump through if you want to
do dualstrusion.

Dan