Small spool for filament samples

thingiverse

I got a bunch of ColorFabb samples to play with, and I wanted a hassle-free way to load the 50g filament samples onto a spool without tedious rewinding. The solution is straightforward - remove the side panel, drop in the filament hoop, hook up the tail end, screw on the side panel. You might need to adjust the coil's tension to get it to fit snugly on the spool. It's way simpler than unwinding the filament all over again! The center piece accommodates an 8mm rod. I've included CAD files for those who want to customize it for different rod sizes - after all, there's room for improvement! This version might be sufficient for now. To build this project, you'll need M3 flat head screws that are at least 5mm long. This design works best with 0.5mm extrusion line widths, which is compatible with nozzles as small as 0.4mm and 0.35mm. Don't bother with supports; it can handle 25mm bridges without any issues. Suggest running two perimeters and four to six layers on top and bottom - any more might confuse your slicer. I kept this design slim and lightweight, conserving material in the process. You shouldn't use over 50g of filament, but if you build it carefully, it should hold up just fine.