HICTOP Filament Trash Bin

thingiverse

I'd rather be accused of laziness than waste time on unnecessary tasks. Some people say that's the creative side of "Necessity is the mother of all invention." I'm hoping that's what drives me. Every time my 3D printer gets ready to print, I have to remove and dispose of a small amount of filament ooze using tweezers. Walking two miles from my shop computer bench to the garbage can was starting to get on my nerves. It wasn't even a big deal - just two steps - but it was still annoying. I'd often lose the tiny piece of filament along the way. I decided that having a small trash can right next to my 3D printer would be more convenient. That's how "the mother of invention" came into play. I created a small boxy tray that temporarily holds filament ooze until I dispose of it in the actual garbage can. Plus, if it's clean, it makes a great spot for storing small nuts and bolts when doing printer repairs. This little device was originally designed for my HICTOP printer, but it also fits my Migbot i3 printer. I'm sure it will work on other printers with similar construction. After adding front-mounted switches to my Migbot i3 printer, I made a slightly smaller version that suits its needs.