HICTOP filament feed improvement.

thingiverse

If filament on the spool becomes tangled while printing with an HICTOP Prusa i3 style of printer, it might be caused by filament being pushed back as the X carriage moves from left to right. This movement alters the distance between the extruder and the filament spool. As this distance increases more filament is pulled off the spool, but as the distance gets shorter the filament is pushed back onto the spool. If the spool is full, extra filament may cause returning filament to fall off the spool which could prevent smooth delivery of filament and possibly a tangled spool. To resolve this issue, consider passing filament through a Bowden tube available on Amazon by searching for "PTFE Teflon Bowden Tube for 1.75 Filament." This will maintain the same length of dispensed filament as the tube flexes with distance decrease and straightens with distance increase. This setup allows users to add a Bowden tube between the spool and the extruder. It is based on "Filament Guide for HICTOP 3D Printer 3DP11" from Thingiverse. To benefit, print the guide followed by "Filament Guide-PTFE Adapter." Insert PTFE into the smaller end of the adapter and feed filament through the adapter, tube, and into the extruder. This alone creates a fixed distance between the spool and extruder. I have also redesigned the Extruder Arm with a mounting hole for the tube but have not yet tested it. As of this post, you can find the filament tube at https://www.amazon.com/gp/slredirect/picassoRedirect.html/ref=pa_sp_atf_industrial_sr_pg1_1?ie=UTF8&adId=A03698162FWXQBU8D833E&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FBlack-Menba-Filament-Printer-Rostock%2Fdp%2FB01D1G7LRO%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fs%3Dindustrial%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1485615614%26sr%3D1-1-spons%26keywords%3Dteflon%2Btube%26psc%3D1&qualifier=1485615614&id=802055749591352&widgetName=sp_atf. The Filament Guide for HICTOP 3D Printer 3DP11 is available at http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1462684. Print Settings: Printer: HICTOP 3DP12 ATL Rafts: Yes Supports: Yes Infill: 90% Notes: I used high infill to have a completely solid part, which may not be necessary if you are only printing the guide. If you choose to print the extruder arm, your slicer should handle the orientation based on your printer bed.