Centering Filament Holder on Top of Ender 3/S1

thingiverse

Update 22.10.2023: The base of the direct drive version was too thin, and could become warped under constant loading, losing the centering ability. V2 is more rigid, and it should be printed using 4 walls and at least 33% infill. Here are two versions for a top-center-mounted and self-centering filament holder/roller. One is compatible with Ender 3-based printers with side-mounted bowden extruder (Ender 3, CR20, etc.). The other is compatible with Ender 3-based printers with center-mounted direct drive extruder (Ender 3 S1 etc.). Both versions require four 608 ball bearings. In addition. direct drive version requires two 18 mm M4 screws, two drop-in T-nuts (Z-nut), plus one M3 threaded insert for the filament guide and switch. A holder is composed of one base, two clamps, a smooth roller, a centering roller, and 4 ball bearings. In order of the centering to function, the centering roller - the tapered one - must be placed on the back side of the spool. On the front side, i.e. extruder side, a smooth roller is used. The only differences between the bases are the two holes for the screws in the direct drive version. The direct drive base can be used also on bowden base. *Bowden Version* Open one end of the 2020 top profile and push the two clamps over the profile. Glue the base on top of the clamps. *Direct Drive Version* Attach the base and the clamps on the top 2020 profile with one or two Z-nuts and screws. If using only one Z-nut, place the other screw with normal nut upside down. i.e. the nut on top. For Ender 3 S1, push a threaded insert in the filament sensor holder, attach the filament sensor and place it over the top profile. If not using a filament sensor, print a filament guide of your choice instead. *Standing add-ons* A standing add-on can be dropped over the roller base. It uses 3DPNFilHoldGuide.stl from https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3020026 plus appropriate additional parts. I have used the original Creality Ender 3 stand, which is attached to the plate with two M5 screws and nuts. For the side-fed version, use plate_bowden_side either with original Creality stand or printed pylon, which already has a slot for the roller guide. For more rigid construction, I recommend using both screws and glue when attaching a printed pylon to the plate. *Credits* The roller is based on https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3020026 by HugoHuge. File 3DPNFilHoldRoller.stl is a direct copy of one of the original files, which I placed here for convenience. The Ender 3 S1 filament sensor mount is based on https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5183896 by pakko. I merely tapered one end of the holder.