Evolution of an Idea

First off, I had made a 4.45-inch hole to serve as the exhaust for a 120mm fan for the arcade cabinet. The fan is going to be mounted on the inside.

So I had two design requirements:

1. I need a grill over the fan to keep things safe and neat

2. I wanted to cover the core of the plywood

I started off with the green print. That was just doing a test fit and thinking how things might get mounted. The fit was perfect, but I wanted the holes to be bigger.

Then the black print on the top. This was the same as the green except with a grill and bigger screw holes.

But that got me thinking: why even have screw holes?

The last one is the one that’s installed. This has the flange on the inside and will be mounted with a drop or two of CA glue. Even if it becomes loose (fat chance), it’ll be held captive by the walls of the hole and the fan itself.

Plus, I think it looks super clean!