i3 Mini Spool Holder Mod (Wanhao / Monoprice)

thingiverse

I have some subpar Ebay Special PLA that came with a peculiar spool that failed to slide smoothly on the stock spool holder, constantly getting stuck. I scoured the internet but couldn't find an off-the-shelf solution that would work, so I drew inspiration from various designs and created this one. Each bearing requires five 4.5mm BBs. The bearings fit snugly onto the shaft, ensuring they won't ever come loose. To prevent the outer support from slipping and causing jams, I secured it with a zip tie. These spool holders can be adjusted to accommodate narrower width spools. To simplify printing, I uploaded the Simplify3D factory file. I'd like to extend credit to this design for inspiration: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3200677, and also to this design for the bearings: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2598427. For those who need modifications, a Tinkercad link is available here: https://www.tinkercad.com/things/eo0kdnwYY2I-i3-spool-holder