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Extraction in the laser cutter room not working #1978

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JackiePease opened this issue Dec 22, 2024 · 18 comments
Closed

Extraction in the laser cutter room not working #1978

JackiePease opened this issue Dec 22, 2024 · 18 comments
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1 - Must DoES Room: Laser Room Tool: Laser Cutter - Large (Gerald) Tool: Laser Cutter - Monster (Tony) Tool: Laser Cutter (Sheila)

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@JackiePease
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Jade reported the following issue:

Been cutting for the last hour and now the extractor fan has just stopped working it’s been hailing outside and don’t know whether water or something has got in the pipe from outside.

It’s is very hot the actual fan switched it all off to let it cool down.

And will try again in 15mins but doesn’t seem to be working seems like it’s over heated or something has got inside possibly.

Just wanted to let you know in case someone is booked this week maybe be something minor but will put a note on the machine if it’s doesn’t come back on.
@JackiePease
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@DoESLiverpool/laser-maintenance

@JackiePease
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The 13A fuse on the fan had blown. Replaced and reset breaker on fuse box. Still not working. @Knottyashcreative and I have partially disassembled the fan and cleaned the bushes, but it still trips the circuit breaker (but not the fuse).

@JackiePease
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@dazz-ling further cleaned out the fan last night as this had resolved a similar issue in the past. The fan is still not working, and still tripping the circuit breaker.

@Sean-anotherone mentioned another similar fan. This doesn't have a plug and appears to be damaged, so possibly not working either.

I think it's probably worth looking at buying a new fan, but I haven't been able to identify the old issues relating to this.

@amcewen amcewen added the Broken label Dec 23, 2024
@amcewen
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amcewen commented Dec 23, 2024

This fan was bought in 2015 - see #184. Looking at #106 (comment) it seems they cost ~£100 back then.

The one bought in #106 which failed to cause #184 had its cooling fan get off axis, so a corner of it wore away and it then melted, causing the overheating. I'm pretty sure, though I can't find an issue for it, that someone who came to maker night a few times and worked on repairing such items got a new plastic fan for it. Not sure if it needed any other parts replacing and/or if they got replaced at the time.

So it might be possible to make a working one out of the two that we've got - they were identical units, AFAIK.

@JackiePease
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Thanks @amcewen

Sounds like a good idea to try to make a working one out of the existing ones - happy to help from the weekend if anyone wants to have a go.

I found this on AliExpress for approx. £160 inc. lots of shipping - looks similar but I forgot to get the part number from the existing fan (if anyone's in can they note it here).

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32787780053.html?src=bing&aff_short_key=UneMJZVf&aff_platform=true&isdl=y&albch=shopping&acnt=135095331&isdl=y&albcp=554961363&albag=1300723396699541&slnk=&trgt=pla-4584894777278311&plac=&crea=81295267452986&netw=s&device=m&mtctp=e&utm_source=Bing&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=PA_Bing_UK_PLA_PC%2FM_SFFC_HOT%20SALE_MaxValue_20240613&utm_content=Hot%20sale&utm_term=cloudray%20exhaust%20fan%20uk%20220v&msclkid=9858eecbe32811c70b9989a162474334

@magman2112
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For the new fans, there appear to be 2 power ratings for the fan, 500W and 750W. It might be worth checking the power rating of the existing fan. The 750W version has a higher throughput.

I have found a 500W version from a UK based supplier, which might be available quicker (the Alibaba ones appear to have a typical delivery date of 6th to 13th January).

https://laserply.co.uk/product/exhaust-fan-hi-flow/

This fan has seen many years of use, so a new one is not unreasonable given the many hours of use they get. We could then look to effect a repair on one of the old ones to keep as a spare.

@JackiePease
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Emailed Smoke and Mirrors to see if they still sell these fans

@JackiePease
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Apparently the fan provided in 2015 was 850W, although the one @magman2112 found should "do the trick".

Suggested to "to go for something quieter and more powerful". Does anyone have ideas for something in that category?

@Sean-anotherone
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Sean-anotherone commented Dec 27, 2024 via email

@JackiePease
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JackiePease commented Dec 28, 2024 via email

@JackiePease
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@DoESLiverpool/laser-maintenance

I've looked at the fan again, and it is only 550W, which is the same as the one @magman2112 found at Laser Ply.

I will go down to Machine Mart tomorrow am to check out box blowers as suggested by @Sean-anotherone, otherwise it seems that buying the Laser Ply one would be the best short term solution - I can order that tomorrow unless anyone has an objection?

We could then look at options such as fixing the existing fan and/or buying something quieter and more powerful - it would be good to have a spare.

IMG_20241229_171835.jpg

@JackiePease
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I have ordered the fan from Laser Ply. I don't have delivery date information yet.

@JackiePease
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I phoned laserply and the new fan is going to arrive Saturday or Monday (they'll tell us tomorrow)

@JackiePease
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Sheila can now be used, as @magman2112 has attached it to the filter unit

@magman2112
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The only thing to watch out for when fitting the new fan is that the connection on the ducting for Sheila is open at present. This will need to be sealed for the extraction to work correctly.

@JackiePease
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The fan is going to arrive on Monday (possibly still Saturday, but it was going to cost another £25 for a guarantee)

@magman2112
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The new fan is now installed and working. I also temporarily sealed the extraction point for Sheila to improve the airflow in the extraction system.

I will leave this issue open for the time being so that we can evaluate the repair possibilities for the original fans.

@magman2112 magman2112 removed the Broken label Jan 6, 2025
@amcewen amcewen mentioned this issue Jan 6, 2025
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@amcewen
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amcewen commented Jan 6, 2025

Yay! 🎉 Working laser-cutters!

I think it's better to spin out the "can we fix old fans" into its own issue, as then it can have a better description (which makes it easier to look through lists of open issues and understand what needs to be done, or whether it's something to try tackling). So, I've opened #1979 to cover that, and we can close this one 😀

@amcewen amcewen closed this as completed Jan 6, 2025
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1 - Must DoES Room: Laser Room Tool: Laser Cutter - Large (Gerald) Tool: Laser Cutter - Monster (Tony) Tool: Laser Cutter (Sheila)
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