filament ball bearing holder for Ender 3

thingiverse

This is an upgrade for the filament holder of the Ender 3D printer. The upgrade consists of two ball bearings that can be printed directly in one piece, two brackets with upper and lower parts, and a spacer. The brackets fix the bearings and prevent the filament from falling down. When installed correctly, the bearings allow for smooth pulling of the filament, avoiding unnecessary tension while printing. This upgrade is designed for filament rolls with an inner diameter of at least 73mm and a width of approximately 65mm. For other widths, the spacer needs to be adjusted accordingly. Printing hints: I printed all parts using PLA with a 0.4mm nozzle. The brackets and spacer were printed in draft mode with a layer height of 0.2mm. For the bearing, I used a layer height of 0.1mm, which worked well for me. However, printing it at 0.2mm resulted in a less smooth movement, so I recommend using at least 0.1mm layer height. The bearing balls require support during printing to prevent them from being ripped off the panel. To achieve maximum stability during print, ensure that the bed is adjusted accurately. After printing, the bearing balls likely need to be loosened and the support structure removed to enable smooth operation of the bearings.