Highend filament guide for Ender 3

thingiverse

Many of us Ender 3 users have noticed that pulling the filament into the extruder from the side, while the spool is mounted on top, poses a significant challenge. This design decision by Creality leaves room for improvement. Several users have reported experiencing severe under-extrusion due to this design, as the filament does not slide willingly into the extruder when bent sharply around the edge of the inlet. Several fixes for this issue can be found here on Thingiverse and are likely more effective than the original Creality design. However, with PETG having a rubbery surface that does not slide well over static guides, I have opted for a high-end solution to address this problem. My design specifications dictate that there should be no need for the filament to slide over any surface. To achieve this goal, a large pulley with a metal ball bearing is an appropriate mechanical solution in my opinion. Here is my design, which I hope you will find satisfactory. If you print and use it, please post your make. To get started, follow these steps: Print the axis and spring washer at 100% infill and with a small layer height for optimal detail quality. The axis may require some sanding to fit snugly over the ball bearing due to its imperfect printing on the Ender 3. I was able to print this part flawlessly on my Prusa i3 Mk3S, which suggests that the cooling system of the Ender 3 is insufficient for such small parts with short print times. Print the base lever and pulley at 20% infill, making them strong enough. A layer height of 0.2mm is sufficient. If you have a M3 thread cutter, use it to cut threads into the two smaller holes on the base lever. If not, carefully drive in an M3 to cut the thread while holding the part securely. Then, screw in two M3x6 screws from the thicker side of the U-shape but stop short of reaching the gap.