second thing i made on my glowforge was a vent for my window. i started with a cardboard version that sat beside an expandable screen. it was a temporary fix, but better than the hose just hanging out the window.

i put duct tape on it because it rains sometimes…

after a few weeks of insufferable heat i finally gave in and got a window a/c unit. and this was the perfect opportunity to upgrade my vent as well.

i made it to fit within the accordion panel next to the a/c unit. i was going to make it out of draftboard with some acrylic on the outside, but didn’t have any on hand (draftboard or patience). i did have some clear acrylic lying around from another project and figured it’s going in a window right? might as well be able to see out of it

here you can see my solution to being able to open and close the vent. it’s a single piece with small magnets that i can take out and flip over to be open or closed.

here’s an animation i made showing how that piece works: