Spool mount for Taulman spools, 7mm thick Prusa i3

thingiverse

A cleverly designed bearing based spool holder is perfect for 1 Lbs rolls, working flawlessly with 1Kg rolls too! You'll need two pairs of 10cm long m8 threaded rods, eight 8mm nuts, and four high-quality 608zz bearings. There are now two options for precision bearing guides, the second one wider to support spools of various sizes, especially those with thick flanges. Simply select your M8 threaded rods according to their length to ensure optimal compatibility. Designed to seamlessly fit an extruder like this one: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:99274 Avoid obstructing that beautiful "Prusa i3" logo! Plus, due to the roll's strategic positioning right above the extruder, a minor filament tangle won't significantly disrupt print progress. However, in my recent experience using this spool holder for months with an Lbs. bridge nylon roll, I had a disappointing result. It seems a loose knot in the filament, likely caused by me accidentally dropping it and partially unwinding the spool beforehand, triggered issues during printing. Upon reflection, I aim to find solutions for preventing such tangles from forming in future prints. Fortunately, as an added note, there's no cheap or straightforward method available today for ensuring the roll doesn't unravel when losing tension. Just be careful with your rolls. They might easily become tangled up. --- ### Step-by-Step Assembly Instructions: 1. Gather materials: * 10cm long M8 threaded rods (2) * 8mm nuts (8) * High-quality 608zz bearings (4) 2. Print components for optimal spool management. - Create "elliptical bearing guide." Over extrude a bit to ensure structural integrity by reducing the filament diameter with slic3r (e.g., decreasing by 5%) or change your default extrusion width. - Utilize the modified default if you prefer simplicity over customisation. - The broader design option is "Elliptical Bearing Guide 2," designed specifically for accommodating various roll sizes, most notably those in excess of one kilogram. Print once and have ready use immediately afterward for numerous tasks on hand! - Create a "left support" component using at least 25% infill and layer height set to 0.18mm; these appear quite strong enough already! - To create "right support," follow similar procedure as 'left'. In my case, this needed at 25% for extra support with minimal layers and thickness for sufficient stability. - Then proceed printing your "Spacer." ### Final Assembly: 1. Slide two nuts just about halfway down each 10cm rod to start building the framework together! 2. Integrate each bearing inside its assigned slot on both rods. It should feel natural at this point in case everything was executed well! 3. Attach the left support so that it perfectly faces inward. 4. Follow similar actions to get both right side completed too! 5. Lastly add remaining 8 nuts after adding one spacer each - just a few last little things needed before it's perfect and secured safely without taking any extra action afterwards.