Duplicator 7 Screw spacer

thingiverse

Did you even wonder why it takes so long unscrew the build vat hold downs on the D7? Is it designed to take an extra deep vat? I doubt it. I bet that's just the length of screws they had at the factory. But because of this sub-optimal set up it takes extra time unscrewing the knobs every time you pull the build vat. You could replace the offending screws with something of a more convenient length but that is difficult because the right hand screw can't be removed without removing the power supply (on a v1.4 at least). I came up with this quick fix which doesn't require you to buy anything or make permanent alterations to your printer. Print two of the spacers on your D7. Open the front of the case. Unscrew the vat hold down knobs. Back out the hold down screws until the spacers fit. Slide the spacers in place and tighten the screws against the spacers. Close up the case and you are done. Note that the ideal spacer would be a few mm longer but the right hand screw runs into the power supply which limits how much we can lower that screw. In the interests of symmetry I made the left match. We talked about this and a whole lot more on the **3D Printing Today podcast** available on iTunes, or Stitcher radio learn more at http://www.threedprintingtoday.com/