Horizontal spool holder

thingiverse

I wanted a spool holder that moved with silky smoothness, unlike the one my printer came with. With numerous designs available online, I was drawn to Creative Tools' version. However, I had doubts about my printer's ability to produce parts resulting in flawless motion. To address this concern, I discovered a compact rotating platform from Tamiya, designed for painting models and featuring two rotatable bases: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00080DIWE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00 Utilizing this as my foundation, I crafted a spindle that mirrored the centering cone of Creative Tools' design (download the cone model from their link). Next on my to-print list was a loose filament spool. Since I wasn't employing their filament guide, the initial spool didn't perform optimally for me. After two attempts, I created the model you see now, which functions perfectly with horizontal pulling extruders. I like to augment its capabilities using paperclips, though you can use filament – just be aware that it may eventually break and leave a piece in the hole. I also incorporated holes into the arms, which serve as convenient holders for both the beginning and end of the filament. These work wonderfully with 1.75mm filament, while 3mm filament requires some drilling to enlarge them. The Tamiya base provides remarkably smooth motion even when handling a full 2kg roll. I'd like to extend my gratitude to Creative Tools for their initial design inspiration. How I Designed This Using tinkercad and an abundance of cut-and-paste operations, I reworked the spool holder into its current form. The process was somewhat unconventional, resulting in some intriguing anomalies – such as solid walls within the infill and possibly some seams on the outside.