Universal Filament Holder with ABEC bearings

thingiverse

Having acquired a Flashforge Finder that uses 600g spools of filament, I needed a high-capacity filament spool holder capable of supporting the larger 1kg spools of filament. I had already attempted another design of holder but discovered the filament became entangled around the open wheel of this design and consequently led to the entire spool holder tipping over (6 hours into a 9 hour print!). There also seemed to be some resistance in the rotation of the wheels in this design so my design goals shifted to 1) sealed wheels and 2) minimal resistance to the rotation of the filament spool. I designed the components of this spool holder using Solidworks. This was my first attempt at designing anything in 3D, and to create your own holder you will need to print 2 brackets, 4 axle caps, 4 axles and 4 wheels. The wheels are engineered to accept an ABEC9 608 steel (skateboard) bearing so you will need to acquire 4 of these as well (eBay/Amazon etc.). The bearing measures 22mm in diameter, 8mm in inner diameter and 7mm deep. Note: There is a 'lip' inside each wheel that serves as a bearing stop, and the bearing is pressed into the wheel so the inner bearing face rests against this lip. The bearings are a tight fit, so I lightly sanded the internal surface of the bearing housing and used an additional bearing as a drift to gently tap each bearing into place. When the bearing has been seated properly against the lip, the axle and axle cap are then added to complete the wheel. Two finished wheels are then snapped into each bracket. No glue is used in the construction but you may have to lightly sand the ends of the axles and axle caps to achieve an interference fit in the bracket. I noticed that the Flashforge Finder prints produced a slight radial 'bulge' at the point where each axle and axle cap print was in contact with the print bed, and these bulges had to be smoothed off before the parts would fit. In operation, I found the resistance to the turning of the filament spool reduced to a minimum thereby maximizing the efficiency of the filament feeding into the extruder. It is also now impossible for the filament to snag on the wheels. However, the function of the holder could be further enhanced by utilizing more expensive ceramic bearings rather than the steel bearings used here. I am sure that the pulley wheel and bearing design would be beneficial in other projects. Enjoy! Print Settings Printer Brand: FlashForge Printer: Flashforge Finder Rafts: Doesn't Matter Supports: Yes Resolution: Standard Infill: 15% Notes: Used Flashfinder to print parts in PLA. Two print sessions are used to create this project. The two brackets can be placed on the print bed for the first print session. The axles and wheels can be arranged on the bed for a second print session. First layer height: 0.27 Layer height: 0.18 Linear supports 45 degree overhang Pillar size: 1.5mm Post-Printing Lightly sand parts to remove burrs, nubs, extrusion anomalies etc. before assembly. Everything is an interference fit so no glue required.