xyz daVinci Pro - Replacement Filament Feed Panel

thingiverse

It's a well-documented problem with da Vinci 1.0 Pro printers that the small hole through which filament enters to engage the extruder gears gets worn down over time. This is often caused by pulling filament over a plastic corner, which gradually wears away the hole. @ChatToBrian addresses this issue in his video, where he discusses his external filament holder and the filament entry hole on the printer getting worn. As you can see from my photos, I'm experiencing this wear issue as well. Furthermore, when I replaced my Bowden tube fitting for the first time, I broke one of the upper tabs on the little panel where the filament entry hole is located. To solve both problems, I decided to design a new panel. I created two versions. One is essentially a direct replacement for the stock panel with a chamfered hole for inserting the filament through. This version will likely wear away just as quickly as the original panel did, but it might last longer if printed in nylon or another high-lubricity material. The second version features a slightly larger hole where you can glue a short piece of PTFE tube in place. I also provide a small cap for the other end of the PTFE tube to make it easier to feed filament into the tube. You can make the PTFE tube as long as needed, and even attempt to integrate it into an external spool holder similar to Brian's fix in his video.