Filament Mount for Lulzbot TAZ

thingiverse

I'm Inspired by Others to Improve Filament Feed on TAZ 4 Drawing Inspiration from other innovators, I embarked on a mission to find a more effective way to feed filament into my TAZ 4 3D printer. To stabilize the bearings and spool, I turned to a clever design found on Thingiverse at http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:235925. Interestingly, this same design was also recommended by another inventive mind at http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:773863. Unfortunately, however, this mount caused some issues with brittle filaments - the increased distance between the filament tube led to more frequent breaks. Faced with this challenge, I used OnShape's design tools to create a more compact mount that would minimize breakage risks. I'm happy to share my revised design, which is publicly accessible at https://cad.onshape.com/documents/72cefc6fb8cf4e0eaa77627b/w/b097f666a62647f2b67e9ccf/e/e11dd2c102c64ad3b50fb66a. Details of My 3D Print Experiment To bring this new design to life, I printed it using my Lulzbot TAZ 4 with PolyMax by PolyMakr at a resolution of 0.2mm layers, three shells, and 25% infill, all courtesy of Simplify3D slicing software. For those who'd like to see how the first version turned out, please note that there was some minor splitting near the screw holes - a common challenge with compact designs. In response, I've updated the STL files and OnShape CAD model by adding 3mm to the securing arms, ensuring a stronger, more durable print. Getting Started If you're ready to bring this design to your own workshop, you'll need two 608zz bearings, an M8 threaded rod, four M8 nuts, and two M8 flat washers. I used 30mm self-tapping flat head screws with gauge #6 for my experiment, but feel free to adjust according to your specific needs. I've posted detailed photos of the first version of this project online - hope it serves as inspiration for your own innovations!