Another Tube Squeezer

thingiverse

Another tube squeezer. All the designs I found were riddled with the same issue. Either they were far too loose or, more often, it was impossible to get most tubes started because you had to push the crimped bottom of the tube through one or more narrow openings. I wanted a design that would allow you to slide the tube into the squeezer and the reel sideways. Accordingly, this design. So far it has worked flawlessly but its weakness is clearly the roller part. I expected it would break. When designing it, I saw the printed part as a prototype and planned on replacing it with an aluminum piece from my lathe. However, it's still going strong after several months. Who knows? There are two versions: the original body and the short version. The short one requires less plastic but works exactly as well as the original. To use, slide the end of the tube into the roller, then slide the tube into the body from the side. The knob then slides onto the end of the roller and locks in place with a twist. Finally, to keep it locked, slide the roller cap into the slot at the end of the roller. In use, turn the knurled end of the roller clockwise. The knob on the other end is smooth, signaling you not to turn that side. Print without supports. When printing, you may want to adjust the thickness of the roller cap by scaling it in Z only in your slicer. It should fit snugly but not be too hard to remove. The CAD files are available at Onshape.