Configurable Spool Tray Parts Holder

thingiverse

I designed this Spool Tray for storing small parts that are scattered around, and to make use of empty filament spools I have lying around. Parts: 4 M2-6mm flat head screws 8 6mm ball bearings 3 1/4-20 threaded rod, the length depends on how tall you want it to be. 6 1/4-20 nylon lock nuts https://youtu.be/zu_3QGDO9Pw There are several 'trays'; 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, and full height. They have removable longitudinal and radial dividers that let you configure the trays in different ways, label holders to help identify their contents, a lazy susan on the bottom that makes it easy to access a tray, a top cover to prevent stuff from falling into the spools, and the trays snap in and out so they can be rearranged or placed on my desk for easy access to the parts. My first one will be a 6 spool stack tower. I just need to print some more trays, and wait for the 1/4 inch threaded rod and nylon lock nuts to arrive so I can finish it up. I am going to cut the rods to length, and peen or use Locktite on the nuts on the bottom so they are truly locked. Then use the top nuts to adjust the ease of tray swing. The trays are designed for Hatchbox spools, which are 200mm OD, 80mm Center OD, and 62MM inside height. The 1/3 tray is 20.3 mm tall, the 2/3 tray is 40.6 mm, the 2/3 tray is 40.6 mm, the 1/2 tray is 30.45 mm, and the full tray is 60.9 mm. The trays fit snug in the 62mm high spools, and the ease with which they swing can be adjusted using the threaded rod. I also included a 1/3 tray that is not clip-on. If you want some of these in other heights, let me know. The Base Clamp and Base Bottom have holes for eight M2-6mm flat head screws, but I only used four because there is no load on them. The Base Clamp is only used to keep the bearings from falling out when you pick it up. The Base Spacer has holes for sixteen 6mm ball bearings, but I found that eight worked well. Supports are only required on the Base Top. The rest of the parts can be printed without them. And make sure that the bearing races are facing up when you print the Base Top and Base Bottom. If you don't have the correct size spools, let me know and I will make some parts that will let you emulate them. I included a Drill Jig to let you easily locate the 1/4 in holes that need to be drilled in the spools for the threaded rod. Note, this might not be the most efficient use of my printer. It takes between seven and eleven hours to print a tray and a full set of dividers, depending on their height. But I like the ability it gives me to organize my parts, and reorganize them when their quantity or type changes. And it is a huge improvement over using many different kinds of parts boxes and plastic bags to hold them.