
Multi-size Spool Tri-Adapter Roller Axle
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I give you the Tri-Adapter Axle. I started by measuring the inside diameter of the spools I had, which led me to come up with 4 common sizes for my design. So far, none of the spools I've found haven't worked with this adapter. To mount it above my printer, I used a 3D printed angle bracket for PVC and some PVC fittings. With 3/8" ID bore bearings that pop into the Tri-Adapter body, the whole thing easily screws into a 3/8" coupling nut I mounted in an adapter I also printed that presses into the PVC fittings, all freely spinning on a common 3/8" bolt as an axle. To accommodate different width spools, I ended up getting two different length bolts. I hope this Tri-Adapter Axle serves you well - Enjoy! Print Settings Printer Brand: Printrbot Printer: Simple Silver Rafts: No Supports: Yes Resolution: 0.2-0.3 mm, choose your preference. Infill: Yes, I use 30-50% Notes: Feel free to experiment with different settings and slicers for this part - it's pretty forgiving and should function properly even if it prints rough or ugly. I usually try to avoid supports to keep my stress levels low, but the bearing housing benefits from them here. I used MatterControl to slice and Gcode my STL because it lets you set the distance that support is offset from the part, which I really like for its removability of support material. The support material inside the bearing housing popped out cleanly in one piece. I tried Repetier, but didn't like how the support removed leaving the bearing housing rough and requiring a lot of clean-up. I designed this Tri-Adapter to reduce print time and material by using three legs instead of four. In the end, I really like its simplicity, small size, and smooth operation. MatterControl also has a nice feature called "Support Everywhere" that generates support material starting on top of internal surfaces. I really like this feature because it doesn't clutter up my work space. Post-Printing Remove support material... pop in some bearings... DONE! How I Designed This I tried other spool holders, but they all hang-up or bind sooner or later. Other rollers require filament guides and occupy work surface space. I wanted a spool holder that was out of the way, didn't clutter up my workspace, and provided smooth distribution of filament preferably with bearings that I could change out when needed for a variety of spool sizes. When using other holders, often I would have to tighten my filament feeder bearing so tight it would smash and oblong the filament, making it impossible to fit through the extruder and causing jams. This ruins a lot of filament quickly. Other rollers need guides to get the filament up and over everything to get the filament from the spool to the extruder because they sit on the work surface. Each of these "guides" can also jam up the filament or require bearings themselves. It seemed that it could all be done easier...
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