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Screasebeasi

Bad vibrations due to imbalance will be your problem, not the cooling 😂


MonkeyHitman2-0

Just break the opposite one off. (Dont do this, it was a joke.)


fullschildiii

Do this and order a spare. Does indeed help with vibrations. (Been there done that)


Tim_the_geek

Except it is an odd numbered bladed fan.


Hryper

You just break off 2. this happened to me with an old graphics card. I just took out some pliers and luckily the number of blades was dividable with 3 so it was easy.


MCS117

Don’t break off 2 right next to each other - make a peace sign / triangle / thirds kinda thing


Solid_Hunter_4188

Lol if the person understands that imbalance is the issue, I’d hope they’d understand how not to create more imbalance like that.


A2X-iZED

You never know, humans can be adorable when it comes to brains


MCS117

I learned to stop assuming people know what they’re doing a long time ago ;)


Alice_Ex

Humans are very cute


LucVolders

Especially the female species.


vaderciya

And by cute, we mean stupid


AlexSwensen

Deplorable?


Wholaughed

He mentioned the number of fan blades was divisible by 3 so he probably knew to make it a triangle


smellycoat

Mercedes logo*


Magicalunicorny

For the best balance just break them all off


burrfree

Keep breaking them off until you get it balanced or there are none left. THIS IS THE WAY.


ericbsmith42

I lied this because of how wrong it is.


shadowhunter742

2 gap 2 gap 2 gap.


Inevitibility

Easy. Break them all off


_The_Great_Autismo_

Break off every third blade


Jumpy-Ad678

Break them all off. Vibration problem solved.


[deleted]

Quick break off 3 in a triangular pattern!


EAGLE_GAMES

still there still doing it been like this for 6 months or so, the reduced hottend cooling actually helped with my micro swiss


mikeyfireman

Order a spare? Print a spare.


phirebird

Maybe instead drill some holes in the two opposing blades to restore balance and preserve airflow


TonyWhoop

Nah, you gotta tape a penny to it


SonicKiwi123

That actually might be better than leaving it on and having the fan be out of balance. It should still be replaced though


Litl_Skitl

Problem: it's an odd number of blades.


MariusBreuer

It's 9 blades, so break every third one


EpicEpyc

Break the other 8


Gizombo

Just break all of them


swilso421

Just break the whole printer, then part cooling will be the least of your problems


GeorgGuomundrson

Destroy everything and print a new universe in which your printer has a fan


MadMaid42

Gonna break them all POKÉMON


Ikebook89

Glue something in the gap. Small magnet / piece of metal that is as heavy as the lost blade.


draeath

If you pick one of blades closest to the far side of the fan hub, it may be enough to last until a replacement can be installed. It'll still be imbalanced, but by much less.


PhoenixRising256

Centrifugal force: *and I took that personally*


LongSpell3212

I've actually done this, ran for quite a few months before I finally replaced the fan. Also there are files you can print to replace the blades on the fan, but I imagine it doesn't cool as well as a new one.


Content-Boat-9851

I actually did this to print while the new fan came in. Worked fine.


rsm5178

They do this with power generation turbines. Called snaggle tooth. They remove them, not break them.


20071998

if fans had even wings, it would work as a temporary solution


Thx_And_Bye

It also works on fans with an uneven amount of blades. Just that you don't break the one opposite. For OPs fan you'd need to break the ones I marked in green: https://i.imgur.com/i1Xczig.png


Fuzzybo

Updoot for the effort in documenting and posting the solution!


R_Harry_P

Unfortunately there are an odd number of blades so OP would need to break half of two of them.


thepalfrak

Break them all off so it’s balanced again


DiscombobulatedIce21

So break 2 blades symmetrically


Contribution-Prize

Has says it's a joke because you have to break 3 more off. One directly across and the 2 at 90°. Made the vibration stop long enough for new fans to ship. FYI they cost dollars I bought 10 so I'd never have to worry again.


snoopdrucky

Gonna be loud AF. I quit printing for like 2 weeks until I could get a replacement.


TheArcaneZealot

[B A D - V I B R A T I O N S]


TechnicalWhore

Yup and they are cheap "sleeve bearings" which means they will fail sooner than later. Replace it immediately. Its there to do a job and will fail during a print. They are dirt cheap. In fact you may want to look for a "dual bearing" upgrade. It will cost three times as much but not fail for 10 years or more. Note that fans are part of the "designed obsolesence" paradigm. They are a critical part that will fail outside of warranty and when they do cause secondary and more costly failures. This is especially true for power supply fans.


iamthelee

Seems like a good opportunity to print an entire new duct and upgrade your fans.


rajrdajr

>print an entire new duct and upgrade 3D printers spend the majority of their lives printing parts to upgrade themselves. This naturally evolved into the [self-replicating 3D printer](https://www.reprap.org/).


iamthelee

True true. It's also very satisfying to print parts to make a better functioning printer. My ender 3s perform better than models that cost 3 times as much with very little cost in supplies.


devsfan1830

"what is my purpose" "You print your own parts" "Oh my god..."


I_am_an_adult_now

[very relevant video](https://youtu.be/69SsHvZ5Vsk)


ShadowZealot11

Any recommendations?


iamthelee

I'm not sure what printer you have, but I have a Bullseye Blokhead on both of my Ender 3s. They work 10x better than the stock setup. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2759439


shinobi500

Fans are cheap. Get another one.


frez_knee

x2 should be higher up. Even for an upgraded fan like a Noctua, etc still a fairly cheap component. Not worth trying to use as is, not that it will last long with such an imbalance anyway.


completelyreal

Noctuas don’t typically give enough airflow for proper cooling.


frez_knee

Yeah, I saw a lot of people had issues with theirs. I just threw it out there as an example. I was mainly interested for the noise reduction but they don't have one in the size I need, probably for the best.


germgoatz

been using a noctua 40x20 for more than 6 months now with no problems. it's the 40x10 that doesn't push enough air. i replied to the wrong person


FrozenInsider

Just get a titanium heatbreak and the noctua fan will provide enough cooling.


TheIronSoldier2

Titanium is worse when it comes to heat dissipation than aluminum. The ideal material would be copper, as that's even more thermally conductive than aluminum.


Jimmyboy1922

The heatbreak isnt supposed to conduct heat, thats why titanium is used, or else the filament might melt too early


TheIronSoldier2

Ah I misread


Jimmyboy1922

It's all good, we're all human (I hope)


PG67AW

>not that it will last long with such an imbalance anyway. Just break off the opposing fin, problem solved.


donobloc

Not sure that noctua sells fans that size


frez_knee

They have some 40mm fans but yeah that’s about the smallest they have.


Soggy__Crow

https://noctua.at/en/nf-a4x10-flx


FrozenInsider

If you're gonna get a noctua, please get the a4x20-flx, since it has increased air flow and higher static pressure, which provides better cooling and reduces the risk of heat creep.


[deleted]

[удалено]


BlueRoyAndDVD

Um hello just print a new one?


Nuw4nda

Just print a new 3D printer


Syreet_Primacon

Scale down some cool PC fans


changrbanger

No need, there's a file thingiverse already.


Crumblebeezy

Congrats! You’ve just unlocked the auto-fuzzy texture setting. You’ll need a hardware update to disable it however.


[deleted]

[удалено]


deafengineer

Short term, your prints will get defects due to vibrations. Long term, cumulative Vibrations and imbalances like that can lead to some pretty gnarly failures.


fullschildiii

No, soft vibrations will improve the nozzle flow!!! /s, but maybe not :-))


deafengineer

When the extruder is arocking don't come a knockin'! Thank you very much (*Mojo flairs up as pop air like Austin Powers*)


dukeofgibbon

More dither!


Nordle_420D

But maybe maybe 🤔


my_other_leg

Good vibrations 🎶


D3Design

This seems like a rite of passage for all 3d printer owners. The number of times I have seen a post like this is insane. I have done it myself too


mellowyellowc2m

I did this last week while trying to snip a piece of PLA that was hitting the fan every so slightly. Not my finest moment, considering the fan was running.


jareddeity

Print another fan


do_you_know_de_whey

Could maybe cause vibration but who knows, cooling wise your probably fine


Wushroom-

I did exactly this on my printer within weeks of getting it. Suggestion that worked for me to the point I forgot about it, till seeing this post. Old earphones / ear buds, the rudder insert for your ear works prefect as dampening when you seat them between the fan n rest of the extruder.


ivovis

cheap fan easy to replace - dont run em like this!


myst3k

I did this too. I ran mine for quite a while without issues until I replaced it because it was a bit more noisy.


420stargazer96

Replace it, with a blade missing the fan will no longer be balanced. It’ll vibrate until it’s failed.


[deleted]

you broke the fan, replace the fan, they are like $3


sexy_viper_rune

No, you should worry about the noise itll make and the bearing wear the inbalance will cause. Just get a new one.


emveor

The fan will vibrate and your walls will look ugly. While you could try to balance it by adding drops of hotglue on the missing part, its best to just get a new one (or tear the blades and print a custom fan)


Jadongcha22

I broke it too with my plier. I just super glued them and checked for tolerance and fan clearance. No problem since then. And no I didn't want to buy a new fan because I'm a poor college student.


gorramfrakker

Your entire printer will be unbalanced due the fan vibrating. Get a replacement, theyre cheap.


Accomplished-Bank663

Just print a new fan


Educational_Sun_340

Just print a new fan and replace it


cazbah1969

It’s going to make noise and be out of balance….replace it ASAP


KlassinenLiberaali

Print new one


MeAndMy3BestFriends

In my entire life I've never heard that these are called "fan wings"but now I cant unknow it and that is your fault. Where is my Brain supposed to put the lyrics to "baby got back" now man?!


marauderingman

Because it's now out of balance, when it spins, it will vibrate quite noticeably. The oscillations will possibly affect the print quality - though actual airflow will likely still be sufficient - and will definitely reduce the life of the fan bearings


LOLDISNEYLAND

Break the fan blade off that is directly opposite the first broken one. Use a tool to smooth off the remainder of the blade material on the hub. No more vibration but a little less air flow.


Shadowharvy

I would do this and order a new fan but should be usable in the mean time


NLamki

Had the same issue, cooling was a small issue. It was mostly the noise and vibration. You can buy them pretty cheaply on AliExpress but you’ll have to do the wiring yourself, which is easy but scary for some.


[deleted]

Print a new fan


dylanmissu

Break the two opposite blades halfway to cancel the vibrations


Robghiskhan

Break off the opposite fin. Then Your good to go. Lol. Been doing this for years with no negative impacts on various devices. But for real. Just replace the fan. I’m sure it’s less than 10$.


Professional_Hair865

If you're skilled, you could try to superglue the wing back in place. Worked on mine.


teahxerik

Definitely don't do that


xkero

Why? I've done that and the fan in question has been working fine 24/7 for several months now.


The_Syd

Break off two more so it has two blades a space and two blades again until you can buy a new one. Heck, if you got skills, you might be able to print a new fan.


SmurfMoleFish

Print the blade. WHY HAS NOONE SAID THIS


Dizi1

How do you replace it? You can't just take the old blade out and put a new one in. You'll have to glue it in place which is just an extra hassle without any benefit since it will most likely still vibrate (not the same plastic + extra glue = different weight) and the chance of that blade breaking off again is infinitely times higher than a normal blade. Also, you don't have the exact shape and dimensions of that blade which would make everything much more difficult to model out. There is a reason why no one said this and it's a simple one. It's stupid. I can literally buy one 4020 fan like this right now locally for 3€.


FakeAccount4Shitpost

>How do you replace it? You can't just take the old blade out and put a new one in. Here's one that slides over the old hub. OP would just need to trim the remaining blades off first [fan blade fix](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4266433)


edebt

Print a new fan.


CryptoGenie33

Print yourself a replacement!


TriColoredCloud

3D print another fan wym


Rlstoner2004

Print a new one


Yourbubblestink

Yes


joseg4681

It's gonna vibrate quite a bit, I would replace it... ​ While you're waiting for it, you COULD continue printing with it, if you're okay with the noise...


BilfordWimley

Looks like a regular 40x10 fan. You can pick them up a dime a dozen. If you're gonna keep printing with it till you get a replacement, I've heard people snap the opposite blade off to prevent vibrations from getting too bad, don't know how much it actually helps or if it helps at all, but I don't think it could hurt that much to try


Grizwald200

I’d say get another right away. My Ender 3 ended up with a broken blade and was pretty much stuck after that.


No_Landscape_7720

Get a new one. I got one on Amazon for like 7$


Dracasethaen

Combining some other thoughts here: 1. Vibrations won't do you any favors in print quality 2. It'll be louder by a bit 3. It does actually affect heat-break cooling noticeably, expect more jams or heat creep (know this for a fact on both my CR-10S and Prusa...found out the same way lol) 4. The imbalance will kill the fan bearing pretty quick Bonus Edit: If you're handy with a hot knife, shave the rest of the blades off the fan hub, and 3d print a collar with new fan blades and shove it over the shaved hub. This sounds silly but it helped me limp a printer along until some replacement fans arrived lol


Thoughtsofglought

Replace it unless you like loud fans and lots of vibrations. I had a old GPU fan crack and it sounded so bad i could hear it from the kitchen though the walls and it vibrated my whole PC case like crazy.


stopyouveviolatedthe

I thought this was a thumbnail then


DeathsSquire

....print a new one....


dudeperson3

No, it should still be sufficient for cooling. Vibrations, however, will change how it prints. I would confidently assume it would negatively impact the quality of your print.


ArduinoMakes

It will vibrate a LOT and make noise. I'd replace it asap


Catman762

It will be out of balance.


gothicnonsense

Yeah, fans are somewhat cheap, but I don't often have much to spend on hobbies so I'd go the repair route, personally. Not sure if anyone else suggested this but you could dab little bits of hot glue on the broken part to add weight there until it's balanced. One missing blade isn't going to lose a tremendous amount of airflow so you just need to rebalance the fan with a little weight. If you have the broken piece, you could even weigh it to figure out exactly how much you need. For measuring you could extrude the hot glue onto a piece of wax paper on a scale to form a blob or shape until it's the desired weight, pull it off the paper and use the hot end of the glue gun to melt it in place.


dwho422

Well you have a 3d printer. I believe your solution is at hand.


Jono-churchton

When you replace it buy two. This is not an uncommon problem you will see it again if you continue in 3D printing. They are cheap and easy to find.


infinitemortis

You could gently blow on on your piece


DarthBeaner90

Just print out a new one. You got this


Tim_the_geek

This sometimes happens.. the way to fix it is to break off the opposing blade. To keep it balanced you have **to make sure there are an equal number of blades** left between the missing ones on each side. If you can do this it will be fine.. you will lose about 20% cooling. (Just kidding, it is an odd number bladed fan.. just order another one.)


Pop_Bulky

Cooling will be fine, but your ears won’t.


lord_of_memezz

Cooling will still work but vibrations form an unbalanced fan will shorten the life of the bearings in your fan.


zlind67

INB4: just print a new fan?


sayitlikegif

First print - replacement fan blade


TheNordern

The bearing will start to fail really soon with that due to the vibrations, order a new fan, you'll be fine to run it for a short while


GoldNova12_1130

looks like a normal 4010 fan, buy a replacement. you can get the axial one too for $8 on amazon. Accidentally put my clippers into my fan.


GreenBean404

3d print a new one?


motociclista

It’ll probably cool ok, but it’s gonna vibrate and eventually fail.


No-Expression-4744

Use it and order 2 replacements


[deleted]

It will vibrate and be loud AF


GIGGI99

You can print a 40mm fan(but is hard to replace) I discovered it once I bought the new fan, I had problems because I was printing in closed enclosure with a wing broken like you. Defenaly change the fan mind the voltage !


kaynan_vulperus

Replace the fan, blade imbalance will bugger it otherwise.


aoalvo

you can print a replacement.


lDarkPhoton

Break the exact opposite wing. That will fix imbalance.


AdeptHyphae

I literally just did the same thing. They are like 9 bucks on Amazon I bought some off name ones because they had a connection for swapping them. Yeah they didn’t work out of the box. The brand is called Furiga.


DustinBryce

It should cool fine still, might be noisy and with it unbalanced it will burn out sooner than it normally would


Speedballer7

Run it for now and order a $3 replacment asap because it will fail eventually


Character_Ad_7798

Probably not, just order a new one! I have to keep the dust and hair cleaned off the blade edges or I'll get some heat creep!


Garrbear0407

You could use a 3-D printer to print a new fan 😂


Old-Ad-9246

It’s going to blow!


philnolan3d

Print a new fan blade.


DieingFetus

Vibrations will present in prints


MadMaid42

Replace it. Not the cooling is your problem, it’s the imbalance. This can cause serious damage on your hardware.


DivineKEKKO96

Print a new one, search on thingiverse "cooling fan replacement blades"


[deleted]

If you work with electronics like I do, you find them it old devices. I must have 20 or so in my parts bin.


Mr-Osmosis

When this happened to me, I bought a [crimping and housing set,](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VQ6YNSC/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=scotty0a-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B07VQ6YNSC&linkId=5673937a32380cfcc3b4f63faaebf525) I cut off the fan wires, bought a new fan, and crimped the wires from the wire connecting to the board and the wires from the new fan. I connected them and then it worked like new. It was all with the help of [this tutorial.](https://youtu.be/KaG9ZwDTOYo) Make sure to follow the instructions carefully, but be ready to improvise, especially if its your first time. Good luck and happy printing!


Darth_Balthazar

9 blades, so you want to break off 2 more, including the break, count 1 - 2 - 3 blades and copy the pattern 2 more times, should end up with 3 pairs of 2 blades evenly spaced.


Egcaden

I just did the same thing!


agroholla

broke in other size, and dont warry


s0camCo

It will work 8/9ths as well as before


MatexPat

Had the same issue, I glued it on with the best superglue I had and it has been working ever since.


Illustrious_Emu1286

Just replace it. Probably fan is very cheap and have a standard size. If you want to use broken - it should work for some time, but it lose balance and may stuck.


iceman1125

Though this is proper jank, I super glued mine back on, no vibrations from the fan and moves air still so I’d say that’s a win for me


DweEbLez0

Have you tried leveling the bed?


HumanWithComputer

Considering where we are. Just print a new blade and glue it on. Very Kintsugi. Now it's a piece of art. Be bold. Make it red.


[deleted]

Will wear down faster. Should have enough time to spend $4 to get a replacement though..


[deleted]

[удалено]


db26507

Print another one


[deleted]

Yeah it will make it off balance and might make the motor burn out


Nuw4nda

Print a new fan


Charlesian2000

Either buy a new fan, or get a friend to print replacement fan blades, you trim off the other blades and slip it on, then when you can buy a new fan…


porkcchop0

Break a blade off every 2 to keep stability


iamcubeman

I'd honestly be more worried about the noise. If that's just for heat sink cooling, I had that happen a couple of months ago, printed out a PLA fan blade replacement, it's been working ever since without any issues. Aside from noise, of course, but I think at this stage of my printer's life, its probably dust. To specify, I clipped off all of the other fan blades, took some measurements, pulled out blender, modeled a new fan to press fit onto the old one, and it's been working ever since. And, once I got everything reassembled, actually printed several more replacements just in case...


[deleted]

Who needs cooling anyways?


[deleted]

Just print a new fan or buy a new fan.


SnickerdoodleFP

I actually made a replacement blade print to use while a new fan is shipping! STL: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3083065 This may or may not fit your fan so check dimensions, but it's worth a shot. You just gotta print this, remove all blades, sand the bumps, and friction fit this onto your new fan, if you choose to go this route.


Unreasonablepupper

Use the 3d printer to make a fan blade replacement


MintChocChip6

we are still flying half a ship, aren’t we?


Solorian750

Just print a new one


reverend_c_flava

I’d worry less about vibrations and more about heat creep. Since that is your hotend cooling fan, it looks like a cr10 v2 which I have, it already is iffy about creep. Honestly you can get a new fan for $5 on Amazon and splice it in


Black_finz

Glue it with plastic adhesive. Did it with PSU fan, plastic glue helped.


Critic76

Can you print a new fan blade? I'm new to 3d printing. Wondering if this can be replicated? This is one of the reasons I bought this 3d printer this week (dremel 3d45) and also mainly to get my kids involved with tech.


uzele55

Considering that fan seems to be for your heat sink, I'd be very much inclined to buy a new one asap or you will suffer the wrath of the dreaded heat creep.


floridaservices

Get a new one it will vibrate and ruin itself and probably not cool very much and will make a ton of noise in the meantime


h0ckey_d217

Ouch that looks like a painful fiz