Bare Essentials Spool Holder and No-Tangle Filament Cuff

prusaprinters

<p>You need a spool holder, and you need it fast! This minimalist spool holder prints in minutes, not hours. Just jam 608 skate bearings (you must have some of those lying around) onto the ends of 2 Bic pens (check the sofa cushions) and then snap the bearings into the ends of the holder -- that's it! There are no widths to adjust, no careful positioning of feet, no screwing anything to the wall or table - just plop your spool on and go. The rim-rider design keeps the filament safely captured within the confines of the spool, with no nooks or crannies for the filament to get caught in.</p> <p>But wait, there's more! If you print this spool holder today, you can also print up this No-Tangle Filament Cuff! Slip this springy cuff over your new roll of filament and leave it there until the roll is done -- it just rides along with your filament while you print and then keeps your filament tidy while in storage. The wrap-around design prevents the filament end from getting tangled up under the loose outer wraps. It's easily scale-able for any width or diameter spool.</p> <p>Here's a short video of the FIlament Cuff in action: <a href="https://youtu.be/UXnvW-nb--o">https://youtu.be/UXnvW-nb--o</a></p> <h3>Instructions</h3> <p>Spool holder:</p> <ul> <li>Print the 2 spool holder parts with 4 shells, 0.4mm line width and 0% infill.</li> <li>Pull the ends off of two Bic "round stic" pens. (Papermate pens are too small.)</li> <li>Press one 608 skate bearing (4 total) on the end of each pen tube.</li> <li>Snap the bearings into the ends of the spool holders and start printing!</li> </ul> <p>Filament Cuff:</p> <ul> <li>In your slicer, scale just the Z axis height to slightly less than the inside width of your spool. (The original height in the STL file is 2").</li> <li>The original X and Y scale is about right for an 8" diameter spool. (The cuff is springy, so it will shrink down as you use the filament.) However, for larger spools you may want to increase the X &amp; Y scale together.</li> <li>Print with 2 shells and a 0.40mm line width. If you scale up X &amp; Y, you should also scale up the line width by the same amount.</li> <li>Slip the cuff over your filament roll, with the free end of the filament coming out of the side with the handle.</li> <li>To roll up extra filament, hold onto the handle while rotating the spool - the wound up filament will disappear under the cuff.</li> <li>Make sure you store your spool with the free end of the filament overlapping the cuff.</li> </ul> Category: 3D Printer Accessories