Cable Reel or Filament Spool support hubs using skate bearings

thingiverse

A vital reel support hub, perfect for mounting reels on bearings (like 3D printer filament, wire/rope for assembly robots etc) to minimize friction while unwinding the reel.\r\n\r\nPrint in pairs. Utilize a pair to support a reel, on the same M8 shaft. Requires four bearings per reel.\r\n\r\nThese reel hubs accept a pair of skate bearings pressed into each side and run on an M8 threaded rod as an axle. A couple of sets of double nuts are all that's needed to position the reel exactly where you want it. A spring on the axle is beneficial for keeping the reel centered and providing just enough friction in the bearings to prevent the reel from unwinding itself all over the floor (like heavy flexible cables or ropes).\r\n\r\nSupports a wide range of reel widths and inner diameters.\r\n\r\nUpdated to include a model suitable for driven spool winding applications. This accepts an M8 threaded rod by default but is easy to modify.\r\n\r\nUpdate\r\n\r\nI recently attempted printing with TPU filament and discovered these spool supports resolved all the under-extrusion issues I was initially experiencing. I found that the filament was wound quite tightly on the reel and the extruder pulling the filament was sometimes unable to overcome the friction of unwinding the reel without using these bearing supports.