Dehydrator Spool Passive Bearing Wide and Narrow versions

thingiverse

Using a standard food dehydrator allows you to create filament at a low cost. I have successfully used this setup with hundreds of rolls of filament without needing bearings. In fact, bearings are not desirable in this application because the spool will start unraveling as the filament falls off when held sideways. The friction caused by the side of the filament spool sliding over PETG/PLA plastic is actually a necessary component of such a setup. A few 3mm screws and washers hold it securely to the dehydrator base. There are many affordable models of dehydrators on Amazon that work well for this purpose. I crafted the large plastic divider that holds the PTFE feed tube in place from PC materials obtained at Home Depot. Get the 1/8" size, cut a strip to the right width, bend it, and bolt it together with M3 screws. If you drill the PTFE tube hole to the correct size, it will press in and stay securely in place, as mine has. The larger version has an outside diameter of 39mm and is compatible with Solutech, Esun, MG chemicals filament, and many others with a large diameter hole. The smaller size is designed for Taulman 3D filament spools and may work with other small ID spools, featuring an outside diameter of 18mm. I print mine in PETG, but PLA should also work, though it may warp slightly over time.