Magnetic Quick Change Sample Spool (For Makerbox samples, etc)

thingiverse

I actually remixed techyg's sample spool design, though I used its dimensions as inspiration when creating this one in Tinkercad. Since techyg had the original idea, I wanted to start by crediting his innovative design. This is a quick-change sample spool designed specifically for samples from Makerbox and similar companies. The outer dimensions of the spool measure 160mm, while the inner dimension is 90mm, and the hole through the center is 55mm. This design utilizes four 10mm magnets in each spool half, requiring a total of eight magnets to function properly. I used 10mm x 3mm magnets, but 10mm x 2mm or 10mm x 1.5mm magnets should also work well. I incorporated several channels into this spool for clamping one end of the filament securely, and there are holes spaced around the outer circumference to secure the other hand with ease. This is an asymmetric design, intentionally created so you print one thick ("bottom") piece and one thin ("top") piece, then use them together. I opted for this design because I didn't like the gap between halves falling into the middle of the spool. Instead, it's easier to place the filament completely on one half and snap it together when you can do so. Please exercise caution with the magnets, especially around children. I used CA ("superglue") glue to secure the magnets in their pockets. Be sure to observe magnet polarity so that the two halves will stick together properly. When I created mine, I marked an "X" on one side of each magnet, then placed four magnets with the X facing away from the bottom spool half and four magnets with the X facing into the top spool half. Again, please be careful with your magnets and keep them out of reach of children. I've included a couple of "bottom" halves marked 14mm and 24mm. The 14mm version resulted in a rather narrow spool that turned out to be unstable on my spool holder, so I ended up using the 24mm version instead.