Filament Carousel

thingiverse

Richard Horn from RichRap came up with the idea for the #MasterSpool, a great way to save resources and shipping costs. I took that idea further by making it obsolete too. This #FilamentCarousel is capable of extracting filament refill coils directly from their bags. A short cut in the center of the coil is all you need. The filament stays protected from dust and moisture inside its package. Silica gel bags can also stay inside. For storage, a strip of painters tape seals the package and locks the end in place. The coil on the carousel spins freely, so the filament doesn't wind up. The movement of the print head induces random rotation of the coil, preventing the filament from jamming inside its bag. Check out my concept video on YouTube (I apologize for the German language). The Filament Carousel group is now available on Thingiverse. Everyone interested in joining is invited to join! Bill of Materials: 3 bearings 608 3 countersink screws M5x20 3 nuts M5 2 countersink screws M5x25 (M5x20 are also okay) 2-4 binder clips Printing and Assembly: The base is printed upside down. The model contains all required support. The clamp is printed on one side for ideal layer orientation. The assembly is shown in this video (the explanations are in German, but you'll get the clue even if you don't understand a single word). After removing the little support brackets from the shafts inside the base, the bearings are pushed onto the shafts and mounted with M5x20 countersink screws and nuts. The hub is simply pushed in from the top. It snaps into place and is held by the lower portions of the bearings while it rides on their perimeters. The carrier is connected to the hub with four pins from 1.75mm filament. To ensure a good fit, re-drill the holes with a 2mm drill. The provided clamps fit 9mm and 6mm frames. Some binder clips might help secure the bag if it gets lighter. Preparation of the coils is also shown in this video (also German, but you'll get the clue). This Filament Carousel is different from my recent "Filament Sample Dispenser" design. The carrier of this one fits the size of the refill coils in diameter and height.