So, at the moment I am working on developing a 3D printable smoke extraction system for Snapmaker’s 40W laser cutting/engraving module. Essentially the idea with this is to allow you to direct the smoke to wherever you want it to go, be it through a HEPA/Carbon filtration system, or through the exhaust port to the outside atmosphere.
The reason being is that many of us have our lasers placed indoors, in environments that’re normally not conducive to laser use. As such, there’s a need for better quality smoke extraction for this laser module.
So, i’ve taken to designing a smoke extraction system for the Snapmaker 40W laser head.
The current rendition of the prototype takes advantage of the rear cutout of the laser base to pull air through to a standard CPAP sized extraction hose. This can then be coupled to your choice of vacuum source, be it a vacuum cleaner/shop vac, a high powered fan, or Snapmaker’s very own air purifier.
Current prototypes are printed out of Fiberon PA612-CF15 for the heat resistance and rigidity. I’ve so far managed to have this design print with minimal supports, however I have yet to test it for airflow and efficacy. There’s also an issue where the thin walls on the RHS of the current revision cause this side to flex. This current rendering (shown above) shows a fix that’ll be implemented in the next test, where the walls on the RHS are thickened to improve rigidity.
This iterative process means that by the time you get to print this at home, it’ll work with a solid 99% of printers, provided your printer is dialled in, of course, and it should perform pretty reliably.
Additional things that I need to figure out are ways to make the fitment both more rigid to the head, and user-removeable for the purpose of servicing and installation, just in case you need to send modules in for warranty repairs and so on.
The print is also aiming to remove the need for supports in so far as is reasonably practicable. I try my best to design supports out of my parts in order to reduce waste and complexity. This does mean you might have to use heat-set inserts for this design, but this also means you can service these parts to clean up the vacuum path of any foreign body materials that make their way in. Reversibility, serviceability and printability are all things i factor into my designs.
There will also be instructions released alongside this design, akin to my previous design for a dust extraction system for the 200W CNC module, that will explain how to install the print onto your laser head.
And of course, like all of my projects, it is being designed and tested on machines powered by 100% renewable energy.
If you want to stay up to date with this project, please feel free to bookmark my website or my thingiverse page. I’ll upload the finished parts to there when they’re in a releasable state.
Beano out.