Creality Ender 3 filament guide with PTFE tube

thingiverse

I've tried various filament guides for my Ender 3's extruder stepper motor, but I haven't been thrilled with any of them. DrStreet's design from https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2873157 came closest to meeting my needs, but after two months of use, strange noises started emanating from the filament during retraction and I noticed that the guide was worn out because the filament was cutting through the PLA over time, as seen in the final picture. I attempted to modify this design to make it more durable and functional by adding a small pipe where you can insert a PTFE Bowden tube, which has minimal friction and is easy to replace if needed. The PTFE tube should be approximately 35mm long, and its flexible outer end will help when the filament roll oscillates. The Bowden tube should be installed after the guide is attached to the machine, a relatively challenging operation due to its position. To make it easier to insert the tube, it's recommended that you bend it in the same way as the pipe.