Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/corbindunn (direct link TBD)
This is just a concept project! The idea is to take a regular 5 gallon bucket and convert it into a very cheap horizontal cyclone dust separator, something similar to available commercial systems that use a single port dust outlet and vortex style separator.
Included Files:
- Horizontal Dust Cyclone.f3d – The original CAD file in Autodesk Fusion
- Many things are “parametric” and using “Change Parameters” can allow you to easily customize some of the design
- 3MF Files: The shapes as I printed them on my Bambu H2C, and Prusa (one piece)
- STL Files: exported mesh files
Things TODO:
- The inlet is simply 1/3rd the diameter of the bucket…ideally it should be more oval shaped, and the outlet should be larger.
- The outlet tube extends into the cyclone…it would be nice if the tube was a separate piece, so experimentations could be done to find the optimal length it should go inside the cyclone.
- Experimentations should be done to find an ideal position for the dust baffle/block.
- The cyclone design should be mirrored, and two of them should be used together in tandem with a diverting intake and out port; as is, the size is really only good for a 4” / 1.5 hp system, and ideally a dual cyclone would work well for a 3hp (or higher) 6” dust port system.
Printing:
The size is based on the maximum size I can print on my Bambu Lab H2 series printer, requiring around a 320mmx320mm bed size. It has to be printed on the “left” nozzle of a dual head Bambu printer (ie: H2C) due to the size. This is coming close to maxing out what size the printer can do, and it won’t work on a smaller printer because it won’t fit on a bucket.
The cyclone top should be printed upside down with tree supports, .4mm nozzle. I did two walls and 15% infill in PLA; it was surprisingly strong, but 3 walls and 25% gyroid infill would make it a lot stronger. I’d rather print with a .6mm nozzle, but I don’t have one for the left side of my dual nozzle printer.
Sealing the cyclone to the base is really important; any disturbances to the vortex will cause separation to be really bad.
Inspiration:
- The inspiration for this started by the work Ruud did over at https://www.youtube.com/@CapturingDust
- His thru-axial version files are at https://github.com/Makerr-Studio/CentrifugalDustSeparator-
- Other inspiration was from Pilson Guitars: https://www.youtube.com/@pilsonguitars
- And Under Dunn who started the whole process: https://www.youtube.com/@UnderDunnOfficial
Revision History:
March 28, 2026: v1 – initial release (developed around February/March 2026)
