Spool Holder and Filament Separator for 3D Printing Nerd's design competition

myminifactory

This innovative design offers a two-in-one solution: a "Spool Holder" that allows you to suspend your filament spool directly above your printer, and a "Filament Guide" that directs up to 11 3mm wide filaments from the source spool(s) to printer(s) not directly below them without tangling. You can view a YouTube video explaining the design at https://youtu.be/lbf3fEUWACU. Key features of the Spool Holder include: 1. Easy attachment and detachment - simply use your forefinger to attach it, even with slightly tapered or rounded corners on your board. 2. Two chamfered holes for Spax construction screws ensure secure placement and prevent accidental knocking off. 3. The design can hold more than 10 kg without damage, making it suitable for 1kg spools as well as larger ones. 4. It's extremely lightweight, using only 5m (14.9 grams) of filament. The Filament Guide boasts: 1. Easy attachment and detachment - the same mechanism as the Spool Holder, but even easier to use. 2. All edges that strands might touch have a 45° 0.5mm chamfer to reduce plastic loss and friction. 3. The entire 85mm wide gap below the 10 guide holes can be used to separate the vertical-to-horizontal transition from the left-to-right transition, reducing friction and immediate restriction. 4. Supports both 1.75mm and 3mm filament, with all gaps at least 6mm wide. 5. Keeps up to 11 filament strands apart, or use paper clips to increase this number (up to 28 for 1.75mm filaments). 6. Extremely lightweight, using only 1.3m (3.9 grams) of filament. Before you can assemble this design, you'll need to have already built 3D Printing Nerd's filament shelves or securely suspended 1x2 boards above your 3D printer(s). Special thanks go to: * 3D Printing Nerd for their design competition that inspired me. * MartinMajewski for his similar attachment mechanism (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1832235). * Prusa and the community for making 3D printing affordable, reliable, and easy to use. * My coworkers who helped with pictures and loaned me an empty spool holder. * Others who taught or showed me techniques I used in this design (e.g. Mr. Dent, my "Statics and Particle Dynamics" teacher).