Arm Brace for MP Select Mini Extruder Arm

thingiverse

This Arm brace's purpose is to strengthen the stock extruder arm on the MonoPrice Select Mini. The concept involves fitting the brace over the arm and then pressing it down firmly. This allows for seamless filament changes, as there is a hole in the back of the brace that provides access to the filament. A tight-fitting design ensures that the arm can be pinched or squeezed to release the filament. Picture 1 shows a TinkerCad image of the brace, which features a negative space of the extruder arm. The arm's shape was carefully traced and scanned before being converted from a JPG file to SVG format for upload to TinkerCad. The design was then expanded slightly for added tolerance and removed from a block (multiple blocks were used). Picture 2 showcases the printed arm brace, which accurately replicates the printer arm's shape. Picture 3 displays the stock arm, which had a surprising weakness at the bearing but cracked more severely at the tip when filament was inserted. The design I created has two key properties: it prevents the bearing/arm from breaking and shields the tips from damage or allows the extruder to be used even with a broken tip. Picture 4 presents a side view of the arm brace positioned on top of the extruder arm, while Picture 5 shows the same viewpoint but with the brace fully seated. Picture 6 offers a top-down view of the fully seated brace, which matches my printer's black color scheme. I have used this arm brace and an early version since September 2016 and am still utilizing my original feeder arm (although I do have some backup arms ready for replacement). Print Settings: Printer: MonoPrice Select Mini Rafts: No Supports: No Resolution: 0.2625mm Infill: 50% Notes: Wall thickness is set at 0.4mm. STL orientation is print-ready. Design Process: TinkerCad was used to create the design. An SVG file of the feeder arm outline was uploaded, and then the feeder arm volume was subtracted from multiple blocks. Several iterations were made to refine the design, resulting in this final version.