GoPro Air Knife for CNC Machining

Every time we try to film in a CNC machine, we always end up covering the lens in coolant:

Constantly stopping the machine to wipe off the lens was getting annoying, so we designed an air knife that allows us to clean off the lens from outside the machine:

GoPro camera inside a CNC machine with air knife attached. The lens is clean.

We got this idea from an excellent series of videos on the Edge Precision YouTube channel. We designed the air knife in Fusion 360, and then printed it in PLA:

The design mid-print in a 3D printer.

The YouTube video above shows the results. Here are all the files you’ll need to make your own:

All files are distributed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license.

No 3D printer? We sell a ready-to-use version in our Etsy shop.

We’re working on a bunch of other videos so be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don’t miss out!

4 Responses

    • The only CAD file that we have publicly available was designed for the HERO7/6/5 GoPro Supersuit. However, we sell already printed versions for all GoPro models including the HERO9 Black Protective Housing + Waterproof Case. The Air Knives that we create for the newer GoPro models work a bit differently, and we have not made instructions on the newer models at this point.

  • Have you looked in to housings that allow external power on the GoPro so you don’t have to worry about batteries? Also, have you had any overheating problems inside the waterproof case?

    • The only battery/heating problems we’ve experienced is with the battery heat causing condensation within the waterproof case when using continuous shop air flow for an extended period of time. We’ve mitigated this through a combo of Rain-X application on the case, reducing the amount of shop air flow over the case, and positioning the camera to get direct coolant flow. Otherwise, intermittent air flow works well and doesn’t have condensation. The external power seems like it could be helpful — thanks for the suggestion, I’ll check it out!

Leave a Reply to Betsy Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.