The Fuse Blast has a blower fan that draws air from the filter cabinet out to the machine's rear exhaust. If it is faulty or malfunctioning, the Fuse Blast may run poorly, make unusual noises, or display an error such as Error 2.8.2.
Use this guide to replace the Fuse Blast blower fan.
Required supplies:
Formlabs
Third-party:
Warning:
The Fuse Blast is designed to contain fine particulate matter from media blasting and SLS 3D printing. Always wear an N95 respiratory mask when performing maintenance on a Fuse Blast unit.
Preparing the workspace
Overview: Prepare the Fuse Blast and a clean workspace for replacing the blower fan.
Step 1: Prepare the workspace
Clear a workspace. Ensure that the workspace is well-ventilated, level, and clean.
Step 2: Unplug the machine
Disconnect the power cable from the machine before continuing with maintenance. Do not perform maintenance on the machine while it is connected to power. Wait five minutes after disconnecting the printer from power before proceeding.
Danger:
Performing this procedure on the Fuse Blast while it is plugged in increases the risk of electric shock. Never remove any external paneling while the Fuse Blast is plugged in. Never reconnect the Fuse Blast to power while the external paneling is uninstalled.
Removing the back base panel
Overview: Remove the back base panel to access the blower fan.
Using a T20 Torx driver, loosen and remove the 15 black oxide T20 Torx screws that secure the back base panel to the machine. Set the screws aside.
Slide the panel up to free the locating features for the panel, then remove the panel. Set the panel aside.
Removing the left base panel
Overview: Remove the left base panel to access the blower fan.
Using a T20 Torx driver, loosen and remove the nine black oxide T20 Torx screws that secure the left base panel to the machine. Set the screws aside.
Slide the panel up to free the locating feature for the panel, then move it left to free the flange on the right. Remove the panel and set it aside.
Removing the original blower fan
Overview: Disconnect and remove the blower fan assembly from the Fuse Blast.
Locate the blower fan. When facing the back of the machine, the fan is positioned at the bottom-right. The blower fan has two cables connected to it. Disconnect both cables. For both, hold the connector by its plastic housing and gently squeeze the plastic locking tab. Once the plastic tab is pressed, the cable will easily slide from the connector. Do not pull on the wires themselves.
A grounding wire runs from the blower fan inlet flange (on the left side of the blower) to the frame of the Fuse Blast. Using a T20 Torx driver, loosen and remove the screws that secure the grounding wire to the blower fan and the machine. Set the screws and grounding wire aside. Note that the replacement blower fan comes packaged with a new grounding wire in case the existing one is damaged.
Using a #2 Phillips driver, loosen the hose clamp that secures the filter cabinet exhaust hose to the blower fan inlet. Slide the hose off of the round boss on the flange and move it out of the way of the blower fan. Note that the replacement blower fan comes packaged with a new hose clamp in case the existing one is damaged.
Step 4: Unscrew the blower fan mounting screws
The blower fan is secured to its vibration damping mounts and the exhaust duct with four M5 screws. Using a T25 Torx driver, loosen and remove the four screws around the flange at the bottom of the exhaust duct. Note that the front-left screw also secures a grounding wire to the exhaust duct. Set the screws aside for disposal.
Step 5: Remove the blower fan
Lift the exhaust duct slightly and slide the blower fan towards yourself, off of its vibration damping mounts. Set the blower fan aside.
Unscrew the four vibration damping mounts from the top of the bage the blower fan was resting on. Set the vibration damping mounts aside for disposal.
Step 7: Remove the inlet flange and gasket from the blower fan
The blower fan inlet flange and gasket will be reused on the replacement fan. Remove the flange and gasket from the blower fan inlet and set them aside. Dispose of the fan with electronic waste.
Installing the replacement blower fan
Overview: Mount, secure, and connect the new blower fan.
Place the gasket and flange over the circular inlet hole on the side of the new blower fan. Align the six holes in the flange and gasket with the corresponding holes in the side of the fan. Secure the flange and gasket to the fan.
Bring the blower fan near its mount at the back of the Fuse Blast. Orient the fan with the inlet flange facing left and the rectnagular exhaust facing up. Place the grounding wire connectors over the bottom hole in the inlet flange. Use the remaining T20 Torx screw or rivet (depending on the date of manufacture of your Fuse Blast) to secure the grounding wire to the inlet flange. Secure the other end of the grounding wire to the frame of the machine using the T20 Torx screw at the bottom of the base.
Screw one vibration damping mount into each of the four screw holes in the blower mount, under the exhaust duct. Tighten until snug.
Slide the flange at the top of the blower fan between the vibration damping mounts and the bottom of the exhaust duct. Check that the screw holes in the blower fan align with the corresponding holes in the vibration damping mounts and the exhaust duct.
Apply a small dab of Loctite 243 or similar threadlocker to each of the four blower fan mounting screws. Place the remaining grounding wire connector onto the front-left screw hole in the exhaust duct flange. Thread one blower fan mounting screw into each of the four screw holes around the exhaust duct flange. Using a T25 Torx driver, tighten until snug.
Slide the filter cabinet exhaust hose to the blower fan inlet flange. Using a #2 Phillips driver, tighten the hose clamp until it is snug around the flange.
Connect the blower fan cables to the fan. The two pairs of connectors only fit together in the correct orientation. The locking tab makes an audible click when the cables are securely connected.
Reinstalling the left base panel
Overview: After replacing the blower fan, mount and secure the left base panel.
Tuck the front edge of the left base panel under the flange towards the front of the machine. Hold the panel against the Fuse Blast frame, then slide it down to engage the locating feature. Check that the nine screw holes in the panel align with the corresponding holes in the Fuse Blast.
Thread one black oxide T20 Torx screw into each of the nine screw holes in the left base panel. Using a T20 Torx driver, tighten until snug.
Reinstalling the back base panel
Overview: After replacing the blower fan, mount and secure the back base panel.
Hold the panel against the Fuse Blast frame, then slide it down to engage the locating feature. Check that the 15 screw holes in the panel align with the corresponding holes in the Fuse Blast.
Thread one black oxide T20 Torx screw into each of the 15 screw holes in the back base panel. Using a T20 Torx driver, tighten until snug.
Finalizing the repair
Overview: After replacing the blower fan, power on the machine and perform final checks.
Step 1: Power on the machine
Connect the power cable to the machine and the power supply. Flip the power switch on the back of the machine to the ON position. The machine initializes.
Step 2: Test the repair
Test the various functions of the machine to ensure that it operates normally and does not make any unusual sounds.
