RigidBot Filament Guide

thingiverse

I've encountered problems with new filament spools unwinding excessively and becoming tangled - a situation that's worsened since I started buying large 2.3 kilo spools. To address this issue, I designed three filament guides that absorb the "slop" of the filament when moving the extruder close to the end of the X axis and ensure the filament is always centered in relation to the spool. This solution has completely eliminated the problem for me, with over 60 print hours using both brand new 1kg and 2.3kg spools without any tangling occurring. Designed to snap onto the bar under the filament rack, these guides feature reinforcements added to counter the slight flex required when snapping them into place. For optimal performance, I recommend adding a 6mm PTFE tube like the one used in the extruder. Alternatively, it can be used without the PTFE tube, although this would result in a significant loss of slowing effect. In my case, I used a tube with a larger inner diameter for sandstone/wood filament with a rough texture to prevent excessive slowdown. I created three versions of the guide, positioned near the front, center, and rear of the frame (as seen in the photo). These guides are angled both horizontally and vertically to enable the filament to travel from the spool to the extruder with minimal twists. Printer Settings: - Printer: RigidBot - Rafts: No - Supports: No - Resolution: 0.1mm - Infill: 25% - Notes: Designed to be printed without supports or rafts, no cleanup is required; I simply inserted the PTFE tubes and snapped them onto my printer.