One of the coolest machines I currently own, the Glowforge Pro, requires hours of planning and setting up. In this blog, I am going to discuss how I vented the Glowforge through my basement window and it works.
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Materials:
T6 AC Infinity Cloudline fan
2-4” duct Hose, heavy duty
2-6” to 4” reducer
2-6” clamps
4-4” clamps
1 roll of 3m HVAC tape
1/8 or 1/4 acrylic sheet, sized to match window panel
exhaust exterior vent
Silicone, clear
Air purifier, with HEPA filter
Careful thought, planning, and research must be taken into consideration prior to purchasing a Glowforge 3-D printer. I planned for several weeks before I hit the go button on this large item purchase. One of the things that I had to plan was the ventilation. The 3-D laser printer burns material in a subtractive method, therefore causing smells. The smells should be ventilated to the exterior. In addition to the ventilation, an air purifier will help clear out the room so there’s no lingering smells. Let’s get started…
Step 1: measure awning window, cut acrylic sheet
Measure the width and height of the exterior window panel to the awning window. The acrylic panel must be larger in order to fit around the trim to the window. Cut the acrylic panel to the appropriate size, width and height. Cut the 4” circle in the acrylic for the exterior exhaust.
Use the silicone to adhere in place, there should be no gaps. Place silicone around the vent and the acrylic panel to the exterior window trim. See Picts.
Step 2: setup inline fan
In this step, you will need the in-line fan, all the clamps, duct hoses, reducers, and aluminum tape.
Take the in-line fan and attach a 6 inch to 4 inch reducer on both ends. Use a 6 inch clamp and the aluminum tape to wrap around in order to secure to the in line fan.
Take one of the duct hose and attach to the 4” side of the reducer. Make sure this one is attached to the arrow side of the inline fan. Use the 4” clamp and the aluminum tape to wrap around the connection to secure it so there’s no loss in smoke.
The other end will go to the exterior exhaust Vent. Use the 4” clamp and the aluminum tape to wrap around the connection to secure it so there’s no loss in smoke.
Next, take the other duct hose and attach to the other 4” side of the reducer. Use the 4” clamp and the aluminum tape to wrap around the connection to secure it so there’s no loss in smoke.
Attach the other side to the Glowforge. Use the 4” clamp and the aluminum tape to wrap around the connection to secure it so there’s no loss in smoke.
Now your fan is ready for operation and there shouldn’t have any strong smoke smells. There still may be some lingering odors near the Glowforge, which may be removed by running an air purifier, that accommodates the room size.
