PTFE Tube Adapter for Printrbot Aluminum Extruder

thingiverse

I've got a Printrbot Simple from 2013 that I've heavily modified and it's still running strong. One thing that has been bugging me about this style of printer is how the cantilever design causes horizontal lines along vertical walls when the Y-axis pulls against the filament spool. For a long time, I thought this was related to an issue with the acme rod being off center, but eventually I realized that my acme rod is properly centered and the problem was really just spool drag along the Y-axis. I fixed the problem by running the filament through a PTFE tube which is anchored at the extruder and at the spool, eliminating the Y-axis pull on the filament and the resulting annoying horizontal lines. The extruder end just snaps onto the lever at the top of the extruder. The spool end is designed to ride on a wire coat hanger which sits in front of the spool - see the pictures. This mod did exactly what I had hoped it would, and now those pesky horizontal lines are gone. I chose this design instead of switching to a Bowden extruder because I like having the ability to print with flexible filament, and you really can't consistently push Ninjaflex through a tube, but you can certainly pull it through one. Print Settings Printer: Printrbot Simple 2013 V1 (heavily modified) Rafts: No Supports: No Resolution: .2 Infill: 25% Post-Printing Once printed, screw the brass fitting into the printed part. The hole on the part isn't threaded, but it's sized so the brass fitting will cut its own threads with minimal effort.