Update: I have taken my K40 apart and converted it to a whole new & improved machine: the LAYZOR! Read all about this project here. Want to do the same thing to yours? Check the LAYZOR website.
I thought I was done with the air assist upgrade, but after using the 3D printed nozzle for a while, I wasn’t very impressed to say the least.
So back to the drawing board, and while I was at it, I tackled another problem I had: the focus distance. When I installed the pin bed, it ended up sitting lower than the stock one. Therefor the focal point of the laser lens was off by about a centimeter. So what I needed was an adapter piece that moves the lens one centimeter down. I whipped something up in Rhino rather quickly.
It is a small piece much like my first take on the air assist upgrade. No nozzle, just a tube blowing on the surface of the stock. It screws directly onto the lens holder. The thread on the aluminium lens holder is non-standard so an off-the-shelf adapter piece would be impossible to find. Now, with a 3D printed piece, I don’t even have to thread it, the PLA is soft enough to accept the threaded lens holder without problems. No more need to strap it in place!
The lens is also press-fit in place. No need for glue or other messy solutions. Perfectly level AND about a centimeter lower.
Stl file can be downloaded here!