I should have clarified that I meant that the plastic of the damper did not deform at high temperatures. I think that it might be interesting to do some tests with PLA and PETG plates that are have a lot of strength built into their outer surface (for the strength) with a hollow section and a thin inner surface that blocks convection of hot air. The thin section could get hot and possibly soft, but it is just there to keep the outer section cool enough so there's no chance it can deform. The inner bit could also just be a cutout for a square of corrugated cardboard from a box which holds up real nice to heat-- my original blower was a cardboard cereal box cut to hold the fan. Lasted several years before we started with 3D printing.
If that works, the bottom of the damper can actually be printed directly on the plate, which would be pretty sweet since you can just make a big square hole. At the very least you could print a large tube or external threads on it to mate with the damper.
