Ender 3 Filament Guide/Feed Tube Support

thingiverse

A remix of a filament feed tube guide that I've been using for a while (see sources), however when the extruder gets toward the top of the travel range, I found that the inlet tubing can kink downwards and cause a bit of internal friction on the filament, if there isn't any support structure. I run a chunk of Bowden tubing (Capricorn, for best performance) at the extruder inlet, and have that sleeved inside a chunk of 1/4" tubing that connects from my heated filament box/feeder system. This way, the chunk of feed tubing can extend as required, while retaining perfect mating with the extruder inlet, while being sealed away from dust and moisture in the air. You can find the heated box design and parts that feed this, here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3676326 This Thing is designed to accept and align a chunk of Bowden tubing on the feed side of the extruder, while supporting the filament (and any tubing) as it approaches. Designed to be able to be printed without supports, if you position it as shown in the photos (resting on the outlet side of the guide). Installation is a very simple removal of the X gantry wheel nut, slipping this piece over the bolt and reinstalling the nut (see photos). The guide has an alignment tab that rests on the top of the X stepper motor body, to maintain alignment due to the slight downwards pressure on the inlet guide. Once printed, you may need to run a drill bit through the tube to help it to fit the particular diameter of your chunk of Bowden tube.