Multipurpose 3D Printed 140mm Fan for the Kitchen

I made a 3D printed tiltable fan stand. It works with a 12V power supply and standard 140mm PC fan.

When chopping onions, there is a certain agent (Syn-Propanethial-S-oxide) that is volatile and responsible for irritating the eyes, one way to keep away this chemical is to use swimming goggles... other is to simply use a fan(At least in theory; keep reading to find the results). But a real big fan can turn off your stove; and it is generaly more noisy than a PC cooler fan.

This is why i made a simple 3D printed stand, that can be adjusted to diferent positions, in order to keep away this volatile compound. Also it helps to cool down soups or any meal faster.

It also can be used in the computer as a personal desk fan.

Disclaimer: English is my second language; kindly correct me if there are words wrongly written.

Supplies needed:

1. One 140mm PC fan. (they come in 12V and 5V versions, i used 12V)
2. One 12V (or 5V if your fan is 5V) and 1.25A power supply.
3. Scissors, wire cutters, blade, or any other tool to cut wire.
4. Electrical tape or any other insulating tape (because the voltage is low, there is no harm in using common regular tape)
5. Two M4 screws with nut and 15mm length.
6. Calipers or ruler (optional, if you want to modify the 3D files to suit different size fan)
7. The 3D printed mount (2 parts).

If you want to modify my design, feel free to access it by this link

Cut the connectors of the fan and the power supply, make sure its unplugged when doing so.

Strip and comb the cables, for this use the wire cutters or any other tool. Combing is when you twist the copper end of the exposed wire so it doesn't shorts to other parts by accident.

On my power supply the cable with the white strip was positive; you can check beforehand using a multimeter or just try for a second with the fan itself. If it spins then its okay, if it doesnt change the polarity of the conections.

Twist the positive cable from the power supply with the positive of the fan. Do the same with the negative. Isulate both wires individually using tape.

If you want to design a custom mount for your fan; this is the design strategy i used:

1°: First i made a simple sketch with the critical dimensions of my fan. These where the outside dimensions and the hole spacing.

2°: Extrude the ammount of your fan; mine is 25mm.

For the mount itself i went with a simple two part design connected by a hinge made of 2 bolts on either side, the only "critical" design choice was that the hinge point must be at the center of mass of the fan (wich, by simmetry constraints is in the center of the fan). This is so the fan doesnt spins by itself centered, upside down or in weird angles.

3°: Leaving a 1mm gap between the frame of the fan; make an offset to create the moving hinge.

4°: Add tabs on the corners to attach the fan to this part.

5°: Leaving another 1mm gap, offset to create another bracket, this will be the fixed part of the hinge.

6°: Add the holes for the hinge, make them a bit larger than the screw diameter in order to compensate for 3D print inaccuracy. Leave a recess for the head of the screw.

7°: Add the base, i went with a simple rounded base. Keep in mind that the center of mass of the fan must remain on top of the base. If not it will tip over. Also remember that when the fan is ON, it will push some air and generate a force that tries to tip over the stand, make it wider to compensate.

I 3D printed them with 25% infill, 3 perimeters, no compensation.

Once the design is ready, 3D print it on your favorite color.

When the 3D printed parts are ready, thread the screws through the two pieces. Add the nut on the other side and tight it (not too much; remember its plastic and we leaved a 1mm gap in between the parts)

The head of the screw must be flush with the moving part (see picture).

Using a screwdriver remove the 4 screws from the grill.

Watch the orientation of the fan; on one of the sides it must have an arrow that points at the direction of airflow. I choose to use the front side as the side with the taps.

Use 2 of the screws from the grill to secure the fan in place. The other 2 remaining screws secure the grill (one on each corner) on the other side of the aparatus.

Tilt the fan and see if it stays in that position, if too hard then loose the nuts a bit. If too loose then tight them a bit.

Finally, try it.

Now... Im going to be realistic with the conclusion: The fan does not save you from crying when cutting onions; it more or less delays the crying, this is due to the onions being too much "splashy" with this volatile chemical.

Was this a waste of time? Not at all, it still works great to cool down hot meals. To circulate air in the kitchen. To cool your hands when using the PC. And for any other uses a silent mini fan is worth using. (Clearing smoke from burnt meals is also an application of great use)

After all, this is a great, simple and cheap project to start in the world of 3D design. This was my first time using Fusion 360 for 3D modeling; and it is a simple project to try a new modeling software.

Thanks for reading and be cool with this DIY kitchen fan project!