Makerfarm Prusa i3V spool holder

cults3d

I adore my Prusa i3V, but the stock spool holder is seriously lacking. It obstructs access to the SD card, makes weird noises with certain spools, and replacing spools can be a real pain due to its design and height, making it harder to cover with a box for draft control. Clearly, a better design is needed. This thing moves the spool from the top of the printer to its left side just behind the Z-step motor. It consists of three parts: the spool holder, the filament guide, and a round spacer that matches the stock M5 screw that comes with the Prusa i3V. The shiny cylinder part of the filament guide is a short stainless steel tube I found in a local hardware store (The Hillman Group 1/4-in x 3/8-in x 1-in, Seamless Steel Spacer model 880416). It's held in place by two M3 screws on both sides. The cylinder can turn, but it's not crucial as long as it turns smoothly. I also wrapped Kapton tape on the main spool holder to reduce friction; it's probably not necessary, but it doesn't hurt. The main part is secured with 4 M3 screws. Use small washers on the plastic side (they'll sink into the base) and large ones on the wood side. Ensure it's positioned so it can accommodate all the spool sizes you intend to use without touching the Z-step motor (remember, the Z-step motor moves up and down and should have enough clearance in all positions). Printing is straightforward; I printed everything with PLA and no material support. All source files are included, so if you need to tweak anything, modify the relevant file and regenerate the STL files in OpenSCAD. My printer has an 8" x 8" hotbed, but I think it should work with all i3V versions.