Replicator 2X Filament Guide Holder

thingiverse

This simple filament guide holder solves the problem of tangled filament wrapping itself around the spool holder and jamming while feeding. Filament is now taken from the center of the reel instead of the side, making it a much easier task getting from the spool to the printer without jumping off the reel and causing chaos. There's also a straighter path from the reel to the filament guide tubes, resulting in a significant reduction in friction during the feed process. This object is designed to snap onto the existing structure of the printer without interfering with cables - simply secure it with four screws of your choice - I used sheet metal screws, but anything will do. It fits both the printer's structure and the filament guide tubes extremely tightly: once you insert the tubes (you'll need to use a twisting motion to do this, and it may take some persistence), you won't want to remove them again - but the result is a very reliable solution to an annoying problem. Because the filament guide tubes are moved back from the printer somewhat, you'll want to drill additional holes in the hood so that it can sit slightly further back on the printer (see the photo, in which my printer hood now has three holes instead of two, allowing it to hold onto the top of the printer properly). I've found that, combined with the Drive Block Upgrade, this little hack makes the 2X stable enough that I can start an hours-long print job and leave the printer alone, confident that it'll finish without any help from me. Print this so that it's lying flat, in the same plane as it will sit when installed, on high-quality mode with at least four shells and 25% infill; ideally, we're talking about four shells and 100% infill. This will make the guide tube holders extremely durable. I've hollowed out this thing in all the right places to maintain strength and stability while using as little plastic as possible. One note: everything works a lot more smoothly if you wipe just a little engine oil (or spray a little WD40) onto the filament spool holders before putting on a large spool - this simply gets rid of friction which would otherwise impede the drive blocks' ability to pull the filament properly.