Ender-3 Adjustable Spool Holder, filament guide and Z rod holder

thingiverse

Here is how it looks like in operation. https://youtu.be/fgFMrJrq1eA I have also included a version 3, with extended filament guide. 13 August 2018 I have printed one for myself and tested it thoroughly. It fits perfectly every time. The original m4 screws from the stock spool holder can be recycled and used to clamp the spool holder adapter V2 securely in place. The z-rod holder works as well, and I have inserted a 608 bearing to hold the z rod firmly in position. Next, I will print the other spool holder parts and mount it on top smoothly. 11 August 2018 I have just realized that the z rod is slightly higher than the top 2020 frame, which requires a slight modification to the adapter, named ending V2. Now you can insert a 608 bearing to hold the z-rod in position perfectly. 10 August 2018 I have just designed this at my work place and haven't printed one for myself yet to test it out. This is a spool holder adapter that allows the spool holder and filament guide to combine as one unit seamlessly. The aim is to use 608 bearings to reduce the friction generated as the spool turns on the stock spool holder that comes with ender-3 significantly. So instead of sliding, now it is rolling smoothly, allowing the filament to be fed into the extruder more easily without having to exert too much force to pull it. The problem I had with the original spool holder was that when the spool was new or the spool hole was smaller, the filament spool couldn't roll freely on the spool holder. Instead, it depended on the extruder motor to pull the filament. This resulted in some regions of the print being under-extruded, which weakened the print and wasted time and material unnecessarily. I had remixed this from the spool holder adapter that I designed for CR-10. Installing the adapter should be easy as can be. I have designed it to slide in from the top left-hand corner of the 2020 aluminum extrusion easily. Then, the spool holder should be mounted first. To prevent the adapter from moving around, there are two 3.5 mm holes that allow you to secure the adapter to the 2020 extrusion with t-nuts securely.