High-Tech Soda Can Cooler

There will be no more updates to this page. There is now a customizable version of this thing which allows you to make coolers for any size of can. Go to the new GitHub page for the latest updates.

You can also find the customizable version here on Thingiverse (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3927994), if you don't mind fighting the bugs and shortcomings of this website.

Original description below.

OK, I admit, it's just a piece of plastic, therefore ‘high tech’ may be a bit exaggerated.
Still, this is not your average soda can cooler, or ‘koozie’ as it is sometimes called. This one has no inner shell, instead it relies on the can itself to seal the air inside, to have a minimal contact area with the plastic and instead rely maximally on air for insulation. Moreover, the walls are divided into horizontal compartments to reduce convection.

Whether all this really makes a difference in keeping your drink cool compared to simpler designs, I cannot guarantee. However, it certainly looks cool when printed in a semi-transparent material and is very light.
I tested the difference between a can inside this cooler compared to a bare can, both starting at 3°C in a room at 23°C. After one hour, the can in the cooler was at 10.4°C, the other one at 14.6°C. This was with the cooler starting out at room temperature. If you would refrigerate the koozie as well before using it, it would keep your drink cool for a slightly longer time.

Three variations are provided, one for standard 330 ml cans, one for 355 ml (12 US fl oz), and one for tall 250 ml cans typically used for energy drinks. The model assumes standard can diameters of 66.3 mm and 53.3 mm. If your favourite brand appears to have a slightly different diameter, scale accordingly to provide a tight fit. A full can should slowly slide into the cooler by itself (or with a slight push), but an empty can should not come out by itself when held upside down.

For each model there is an ‘xBtm’ variant that has a thicker bottom. You may want to use this if you'e going to print this in a more flexible filament like PETG (or something truly flexible like TPU).

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