Artist-D PRO Y stepper cooler

thingiverse

Considering the only thing the back fan could be cooling is the Y axis stepper, I decided to make it more directed in this effort. This box fits on the stepper splitting fan output in four different channels. Three channels are directed to the back grating, one down. The fan takes in air from the case, but it is placed right next to its original intake. This installation needs a stepper damper (or a 6mm spacer), as there is end-switch connector in the way otherwise. I used Noctua 4020 fan (5.5CFM compared to 7CFM of the original fan), but it would fit (probably) any 40mm fan, no thicker than 20mm as there are spacers of the original placement in the way. Mounting slots for the fan are for M3 screws and nuts. There is just enough clearance underneath the stepper to put a heatsink on it. The stepper cable was long enough, just had to free it from one of the zipties. The difference in cooling is not mindblowing - from "so hot I can't keep my hand on it" to "really hot", but that is probably partly due to choice of fan (I really wanted to cut down those 10dB).