Universal Filament Holder (ultra compact and low profile)

thingiverse

Update: 1 January 2021 base-v3.stl was provided for better mechanical stability of rolling. I always wanted to have a universal filament mount with ultra-low profile and smooth operation without bearings. My solution uses paper clips as rotation shafts, offering several advantages without any known problems (so far): 1. It has even smaller rotational friction than the bearing due to its small radius (0.4 mm). This results in very tiny torque from friction between the shaft and holder, requiring only 35 times less force to drive the roller (radius 14 mm). 2. Its profile is extremely low (about 37 mm). 3. It's cheap since no bearings are required. Some reminders: To cut a straight piece of metal shaft from the paper clip, use pliers (see picture). Sharpen the shaft before pushing it into the tiny axis hole of the roller. Four pieces of metal shafts are needed. After mounting the rollers onto the base, trim the excess shaft material. When you put your filament spool on the mount and try to rotate it, you'll see what I mean by the torque argument above. The holders on the mount are designed to create least possible friction while tolerating inaccuracies in 3D print dimensions. The tiny complex on top is a trick, so print the mount with a resolution better than 0.1 mm. If you hear occasional noise while rotating the spool, it's likely from contact between the shafts and the mount or your spool and the roller. If the former, apply a small amount of grease to resolve the issue. For the latter, wrap your roller surface with sellotapes to reduce surface static friction that sometimes squeaks depending on the material of your spool. I'm working on a similar version without paper clips, where 3D printing shafts instead is required. This needs some engineering and testing, so I'll post the new design when ready. Please provide feedback about your experience with this version. Have fun! PS: If you're an FLSUN user like me, use the two screw holes to mount it on top of the printer. These holes fit existing screw holes and screws on the printer. If not, simply ignore them.