SimEyeSee WarpShield

The SimEyeSee WarpShield is an airflow deflector for 3D printers that use a secondary auxiliary fan blowing from the side.

This includes Bambu Lab X1, P1, P2, and H2 series printers, as well as printers from other manufacturers that employ side-mounted or chamber auxiliary fans, such as some Creality, QIDI Tech, FlashForge, and AnyCubic printers.

Unlike a separate accessory you install on your printer, the WarpShield is a 3D-printed accessory that prints alongside your model. It redirects the auxiliary fan’s side-blast airflow upward and along the actively printing layers, protecting the lower layers (where warping usually begins) while still focusing strong cooling where it improves print quality.

The WarpShield is intentionally lightweight and efficient. Its walls are approximately 1 mm thick, using only a small amount of filament and adding a modest amount of print time depending on size. In multi-color prints, material waste can often be reduced further by routing purge material into the WarpShield instead of discarding it.

With the WarpShield in place, you can often run the auxiliary fan at 70% or higher without warping on the fan-facing side of the part.

Why It Exists

The WarpShield was developed in response to real-world printing challenges encountered while designing the

EmBlazeGuard Door Holder Panels:

👉 https://SimEyeSee.com/EmBlazeGuard/ 

Those panels rely heavily on fine details, thin walls, and overhangs, all of which benefit from strong auxiliary cooling. At the same time, their geometry makes them highly susceptible to fan-side warping when exposed directly to side-blast airflow.

The WarpShield was created to resolve that conflict — preserving aggressive auxiliary cooling for quality and detail, while protecting the lower layers where warping typically begins.

You can see this behavior demonstrated in real-world testing here:

👉 https://SimEyeSee.com/WarpShield/#Test 

What Problem It Solves

Auxiliary side fans are excellent for:

• Overhangs

• Bridges

• Thin walls

• Fine details

…but they frequently cause:

• Fan-side warping

• Edge lift

• Corner curl

• Early bed separation

The WarpShield solves this by reshaping airflow instead of blocking it, preventing overcooling of the lower layers while preserving strong cooling where it is beneficial. 

How It Works (In Simple Terms)

• The WarpShield acts as an airflow ramp, not a wall

• Side-blast airflow is lifted upward and over the print

• Lower layers are protected from uneven cooling

• Upper layers still receive strong airflow for quality and detail

For tall parts, the Curved WarpShield keeps airflow attached and lifting upward even after the model grows taller than the shield.

More detail:

👉 https://SimEyeSee.com/WarpShield/#Why-It-Works

Available Variants

• Straight WarpShield

   

  • Best for parts up to ~40 mm tall

  • Recommended: generate the Straight WarpShield using the Autodesk Fusion file, which creates it at the correct height automatically

  • The Fusion file generates a minimum height of 5 mm for the Straight WarpShield

  • If the protected part is shorter than this, the Straight WarpShield can simply be trimmed in the slicer and will remain effective

  • When using STEP files, the Straight WarpShield may need to be scaled or trimmed to match the part height

   

• Curved WarpShield

   

  • Intended for tall parts

  • Can be generated directly from the Fusion file, or created by scaling STEP files

  • Maintains upward airflow redirection as the print grows above the shield

   

• Straight Starter WarpShield (optional)

   

  • This is simply a short Straight WarpShield, typically around 15 mm tall

  • Used closer to the part when pairing with a tall Curved WarpShield

  • Improves airflow control during the earliest, most warp-sensitive layers

Customization details:

👉 https://SimEyeSee.com/WarpShield/#Custom-Sizes 

Which One Should I Use?

• 0–40 mm tall parts

  Use the Straight WarpShield, generated or trimmed to match the part height.

• Parts taller than the WarpShield

  Use a Curved WarpShield, so airflow continues to be redirected upward as the print grows above the shield.

• Conservative default for tall, warp-sensitive parts

  A 40 mm Curved WarpShield + ~15 mm Straight Starter WarpShield provides the widest margin of protection.

• Less conservative option

  Shorter Curved WarpShields (≈18–30 mm) often work depending on geometry, material, and warping sensitivity.

Additional guidance:

👉 https://SimEyeSee.com/WarpShield/#Curved-WarpShield

👉 https://SimEyeSee.com/WarpShield/#Variants

Placement Guidelines

• Place the WarpShield on the auxiliary-fan side of the model

• Maintain a 2–3 mm gap between the WarpShield and the part

• The WarpShield sits flat on the build plate and prints alongside the model

Examples:

👉 https://SimEyeSee.com/WarpShield/#Placement

Auxiliary Fan Setup (Important)

For best results:

• Keep the auxiliary fan off (0%) until the WarpShield reaches ~1 mm in height

• At 0.20 mm layer height, this is about 5 layers

• Once the shield reaches ~1 mm tall, the auxiliary fan can be safely enabled

Full instructions:

👉 https://SimEyeSee.com/WarpShield/#Instructions

Print Time & Material Usage

When printed alongside a model, the WarpShield often adds less time and material than expected:

• It builds gradually during the print, rather than as a standalone object

• In multi-color prints, purge material can be routed into the WarpShield

• Some time normally spent purging is instead used to build useful geometry

To understand the true impact, compare your model with and without the WarpShield included.

Fusion & STEP Customization

Autodesk Fusion (Recommended)

• Change only:

   

  • partWidth — width of the protected part

  • partHeight — height of the protected part

   

• Maximum generated height: 40 mm

• Minimum generated height:

   

  • Straight WarpShield: 5 mm

  • Curved WarpShield: 18 mm

The Straight WarpShield can be trimmed below 5 mm in the slicer and will continue to work correctly.

For example, the EmBlazeGuard Bambu Lab Panel uses a Straight WarpShield generated at 5 mm and cut in BambuStudio to 2.8mm to match the part. 

Fusion notes and troubleshooting:

👉 https://SimEyeSee.com/WarpShield/#Custom-Sizes 

STEP Files (Alternative)

You may:

• Scale the WarpShield

• Trim or cut the height to match your part

STEP file naming format:

• Straight or Curved — WarpShield type

• P = part width (mm)

• S = shield width (mm)

• H = shield height (mm)

Examples:

• SimEyeSee WarpShield v47 - Straight - P25 S64.4 H20.step

• SimEyeSee WarpShield v47 - Curved - P50 S100.8 H40.step

Multi-Color & Single-Color Benefits

Multi-Color Prints

• Assign the WarpShield as a purge object

• Purged material is deposited into the WarpShield instead of wasted

• Improves priming and reduces color contamination

Single-Color Prints

• When merged and seam-painted, the WarpShield can act as a layer-start anchor

• Improves extrusion stability and seam quality

• Some layers may still start on the model — this is normal and slicer-dependent

Details:

👉 https://SimEyeSee.com/WarpShield/#Benefits

License & Usage

License: Creative Commons CC BY-ND 4.0

Attribution required.

The SimEyeSee WarpShield is a free, licensed airflow accessory, not a remixable base or template.

You may:

• Use the WarpShield for personal or commercial printing

• Include it with your own models (including commercial models)

• Resize, scale, or trim height

• Generate custom sizes using the official Fusion or STEP files 

You may not:

• Modify the airflow geometry or design

• Create altered or derivative versions

• Rebrand or redistribute it as a standalone product

Attribution example:

Includes the SimEyeSee WarpShield — https://SimEyeSee.com/WarpShield/

Full license details:

👉 https://SimEyeSee.com/WarpShield/#Licensing