Dry Box and Bowden Filament Distributor

thingiverse

This is the complete set of 3D printed parts to create a Dry Box with Bowden tube filament distributor capable of routing 8 spools for a Monoprice Maker Select printer. <b>Dry Box Assembly</b> My dry box uses a plastic storage container purchased at Walmart, wide enough to support as many spools as you want. Measure the inside of the box; a 26-inch wide container will only fit seven 1kg spools (I squeezed in a smaller 200g spool for my eighth). Install a <i>DryBoxDowelHolder.stl</i> on both ends of the container, roughly in the center, ensuring there is enough space above and below for the spools to hang. Use a 3/4 inch dowel (I used a piece of curtain rod) to span between them. Load your filaments on the dowel and set into the dowel holders. I have provided two versions of filament feeders: <i>DryBoxFilamentFeederM6.stl</i> and <i>DryBoxFilamentFeederNoFitting.stl</i>. The first was made to accept an M6 bowden fitting, and the second has a 4mm hole all the way through to allow the bowden tube to snugly fit through. You can see the differences in the two in my pictures. Drill a 5/16 inch hole for each spool in the front of the container, angling your drill to about 45 degrees, creating a slanted hole. Place a filament feeder (your required version) in the hole and mark the screw holes. I used #6 x 3/8 inch bolts and nuts to secure the feeders. I also used a few dabs of silicone on each one to keep them airtight. <b>Bowden Distribution System</b> The <i>TopBowdenBracket</i> will use the two tapped holes on top of the printer left by removing the original filament spool holder. The <i>BottomBowdenBracket</i> requires two holes to be drilled. Make sure you cover your extruder when drilling the holes; you do not want metal shavings falling into your hotend. Again, I used #6 x 3/8 inch bolts to secure this bracket. Attach the bowden tubes to (or through) the feeder. Then feed your bowden tubes through both brackets and push filament into them. I use a small piece of electrical tape to secure the end of each filament. This gives me access to eight spools of filament without ever opening my dry box! Thank you, and enjoy!