Measured from the actual STL files (mesh volume, not bounding box), priced against July 2026 filament market data and real service-bureau quote statistics. The parts are Henry Thomas’s (whpthomas) DGX Spark side-vent cooling duct and its risers, from the Dual Spark Ducted Cooling Cage thread on the NVIDIA forums.
The parts
| File | Size (mm) | Solid mesh volume |
|---|---|---|
| Side vent duct (right) | 225 × 230 × 127.5 | 834 cm³ |
| Riser (tall, per unit) | 32 × 140 × 7 | 24.5 cm³ |
A 2-node stack needs 1 duct + 4 risers; each riser carries weight, so print risers at 60–100% infill and the duct at 15–20% with 3 walls. Effective filament use is ~30–40% of the solid mesh volume for the duct, plus supports.
Material choice: heat resistance is the constraint
This duct moves warm exhaust air, so glass-transition temperature (Tg, where the plastic softens) and heat-deflection temperature (HDT, where it bends under load) decide the material. Official TDS values (Polymaker PolyLite line):
| Material | Tg | HDT @ 1.8 MPa | Filament median (US, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLA | ~60 °C | ~55 °C | $20.99/kg — unsuitable here |
| PETG | 81 °C | 75 °C | $19.99/kg |
| ASA / ABS | 98–101 °C | 98–100 °C | $26.99/kg |
| PC | 113 °C | 107 °C | ~$33/kg — hardest to print |
ASA is the sweet spot: nearly PC’s heat performance, far easier to print, UV-stable. Carbon-fiber ASA (ASA-CF, ~$27/kg on Amazon) adds stiffness and needs only a hardened nozzle. ABS matches ASA’s heat numbers but warps more and emits more fumes — the reason it belongs in a garage, not an apartment.
Cost: one spool vs a service bureau
Two complete sets (2 ducts + 8 tall risers) in ASA-CF (density ~1.2 g/cm³), by infill choice — recommended settings first:
| Duct infill | Riser infill | Filament (2 sets) | Spools (1 kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15% (recommended) | 100% (recommended) | ~735 g | 1 (tight) |
| 20% (recommended) | 100% (recommended) | ~835 g | 1 (tight) |
| 15% | 60% | ~665 g | 1 (comfortable) |
| 25% | 100% | ~935 g | 1 (barely) |
| 40% | 100% | ~1,235 g | 2 |
Each estimate includes 10% for supports and failed first layers. The
recommended settings fit one 1 kg spool with no margin for a failed duct
print; buying two spools ($54) covers every row with leftover stock. That
is ~$27–$54 in material.
Service-bureau quotes for the same parts (2026 market data, FDM):
- Budget bureau (PLA, standard lead): $65–$120 delivered
- Mid-tier US bureau (PLA/PETG): $120–$220
- Industrial FDM in ASA (Xometry/Protolabs class): $200–$450
Real medians from Makelab’s published data (4,277 dispatched parts): a 150–250 mm FDM part runs $60.81, an XL part $153.32. Material is only 10–20% of a service quote — the rest is machine time, labor, setup fees ($5–15/file), and shipping. The markup over raw filament is roughly 5–15×.
STL files carry no units; the convention is millimeters (confirm in any quote tool). And watch bed size: the duct at 230 mm does not fit flat on a 250 × 220 mm bed (Prusa CORE One+); it prints standing on end, which fits with ~10–20 mm margin.
Printing considerations
- Infill: strength in FDM comes from wall count, not infill. 3–4 perimeters beats raising infill from 15% to 50%. Higher infill adds material and print time nearly linearly and increases warp on ASA/ABS.
- Carbon-fiber filaments destroy brass nozzles in under a kilogram — hardened steel nozzle required.
- ASA/ABS fumes mean printing in a ventilated space, not a living area.
- Riser height matters: the design has Tall (DGX Spark, Dell Pro Max, ThinkStation PGX, Gigabyte AI TOP Atom), Medium (ASUS Ascent, HP ZGX), and Short (MSI EdgeXpert) variants. The DGX Spark uses Tall.
Related
- Cooling a DGX Spark with an External 120 mm Fan covers powering and controlling that duct’s fan.