The Variable Fan Vent fits a standard 40mm cooling fan.

• Print 2 of the vent halves and 1 knob.

• Place the knob between the halves and then attach the vent to the intake of a 40mm fan, using the fan's mounting screws or slightly longer screws if yours are too short. Once mounted, twist the knob to open and close the vent.

There are 4 openings around the vent edge to allow some air to flow, even with the vents closed. The vent also helps to reduce fan noise while printing.

NOTE - Parts may vibrate if not properly attached to the fan.

The Variable Fan Vent is something that I designed after getting and assembling the 2018 version of the Zonestart Z5M2 (new edition) color mixing printer. With many great features, the hotend design has a slight problem with airflow. The fan for the cooling / filament feed chamber tends to affect the hotend temperature, delaying heating and making it difficult to reach print temp. Stopping the fan tends to cause the filament to melt in the feeder, so that was not an option.

Instead of stopping the fan, I chose to regulate the air intake, even completely blocked off, the fan can still circulate air around the cooling chamber of the feeder, keeping it cool enough to print for long periods of time. Limiting the airflow also reduces the impact on hotend temperature, allowing the hotend to heat in a shorter period of time, increasing overall print times. This also reduces the need to preheat the hotend, which normally took 10 to 15 minutes, now around 3 to 5 min.