Toilet Paper Roller

thingiverse

Here are three files for you to print and assemble a standard Toilet Paper Roll that not only is fun to make but may keep you from having to buy one or more from the store. This part has been thoroughly tested, and the files were optimized. The parts are strong, yet much thinking was applied to reducing plastic in areas where not necessary. The cylinders are hollow for this reason. The sections that get stress from the spring tension have been designed to provide the proper support and strength. You will need a spring for this as I did not design one, nor do I think that a spring made of PLA would be the most appropriate for an object that is likely to be long-lasting. I used PLA because it's easy to print. Keep in mind this part is practically not visible except for when someone is changing the TP roll. The only parts visible are the end knobs, and so you can print the roller with your favorite color. My favorite color is white, and in the photos, I'm showing blue and white mostly for contrast given that one part fits inside the other. No glue or tools are required for assembly, although I recommend inserting the pins carefully with a pair of plyers so you don't risk hurting your fingers. The pins were made to have a tight fit so that once the cylinder is closed it does not come apart. Pay attention to how to insert the spring, which goes around a cylindrical knob that comes in two halves. I'll show a video on how I do it in case it's not obvious. Once the spring is in place, it actually helps hold one of the cylinders together, which is wrapping around the other cylinder that sits inside. This makes for a great design that will not fall apart, despite not relying on the use of glue. The cylinders were printed in halves because that's how I was able to achieve the best quality. If I could have fabricated them on a lathe, then there would likely be only three parts for this: the two cylinders and the spring. As it stands, there are 5 parts: each cylinder (there are two) comes in halves, then the spring, plus a total of 12 pins that serve to attach the cylinders. The design is elegant in that the parts are symmetric, and so you can just print the same half twice, then attach them together. This way the parts will look the same no matter which printer you use. No support is necessary. One final note: this design was done around the spring that I used. If you use a different spring, you may get different results. This is a very common spring that you can find inside spray bottles. I'll post a photo of the spray bottle for you to see. The spring does not need to be the exact same one given this part does not perform a critical mission. However, I recommend using a similar spring so you don't need to alter the model, which has been thoroughly tested. Dimensions of the spring: Length (uncompressed): 18mm Length (compressed): 8mm Outer diameter: 10.25mm Inner diameter: 7.75mm