Jul 19, 2017 | By Benedict
Educational electronics specialist Kitronic has released its latest educational electronics kit: a 3D printable USB desk fan, perfect for students who will have to face the dying embers of summer heat when school returns.
For those of us in the northern hemisphere, summer is well and truly upon us. New Yorkers can expect 32°C today, Parisians can stroll down the Seine in a pleasant 29°C, while those in Tokyo will match the New Yorkers at (a much more humid) 31°C. All this points to one thing: a need for 3D printed desk fans, stat.
Step forward British electronics specialist Kitronic, which has just released its latest 3D printable electronics project: a 3D printed USB desk fan. The project is aimed at teachers and students, but anyone not getting their fair share of air conditioning would be well advised to get building.
“We wanted the project to be quick to design, easy to print, and have minimal overhangs,” explains Kitronic co-founder Kevin Spurr, who adds that the 3D printed fan was designed to “move enough air around to actually cool you down!”
The new project is based around Kitronik’s USB Fan Kit, and enables students to make an economical desk fan that takes its power from a standard USB port or USB power supply. A step-by-step guide has been provided by Kitronik, and leeway is provided for makers to customize the fan to their own liking, both aesthetically and mechanically.
“In coming up with our latest kit, we were inspired by memories of hot stuffy days in the classroom,” says Spurr. “We thought designing and making the fan would be a motivating and practical opportunity for students and teachers.”
Kitronic staff spent some time trying out different fan designs, and eventually settled on a jet engine approach that allows for greater airflow through the fan body. There may, however, be better ways to structure the fan, and Kitronic encourages advanced makers to get stuck in with reworking the design.
“This is an area in which students may wish to engage in further research, experimenting with other shapes and designs to see if air flow results can improve still further,” Spurr says.
The 3D printed desk fan was designed and modeled using Fusion 360 and printed on a Robox 3D printer using White ColorFab nGen 3D printer filament and Blue PLA. According to Kitronic, no support material or post-processing was required between printing (which took around 16 hours) and assembly.
The electronic components of the desk fan are available to purchase from Kitronic at ~$5.90 apiece, or ~$4 apiece in quantities of 50 or more.
And for those looking to “chill out” in multiple ways, why not print Kitronic’s super-stylish 3D printed speakers in addition to the desk fan?
Stay cool, folks, and get printing.
Posted in Fun with 3D Printing
Maybe you also like:
- T-Bone Cape motion control board launches on Indiegogo
- New extruder could lower costs of 3D printing cellular structures for drug testing
- New Ninja Printer Plate for consumer 3D printing
- mUVe3D releases improved Marlin firmware for all 3D printers
- Zecotek plans HD 3D display for 3D printers
- Add a smart LCD controller to your Robo3D printer
- Maker Kase: a handy cabinet for 3D printers
- Heated bed for ABS printing with the Printrbot Simple XL
- Next gen all metal 3D printer extruder from Micron
- Pico all-metal hotend 100% funded in 48 hours, B3 announces Stretch Goal
- Create it REAL announces first 3D printing Real Time Processor
- A larger and more powerful 3D printer extruder on Kickstarter
3Ders.org provides the latest news about 3D printing technology and 3D printers. We are now seven years old and have around 1.5 million unique visitors per month.
