Low-friction Filament Reel Mount for Makerbot

thingiverse

I had a problem with prints stopping in the middle of a print. I read online that some people were able to solve this with a low-friction mounting method for the filament. Looking through the other things in thingiverse, I got the idea to use airsoft BB's as the balls in the bearing. These are low-cost, smooth, and I already have them by the thousands. I simply made the bearing mountable to the Makerbot. I consider this design complete, although there probably could be improvements. Pictures shown are of the first iteration. I slightly revised the files for better bearing retention and use of space, but the first revision works well, so I'm not re-printing. Instructions You will need: --- Several airsoft 6mm BB's (I used 17) --- Screws and nuts that you already have on your makerbot - I used 2, but there is the option of having 4 --- The two pieces that are printed 1) Print one base and one cap. The cap has an undercut, but it is angled at 45 degrees and very printable on most machines. 2) Mount to your machine using the screws and nuts (see picture). This will only work when mounted on the TOP of your Makerbot with this particular bearing b/c it is simply held in-place by gravity. 3) Place all BB's in trough. 4) Place the groove-side of the cap on top of the BB's. 5) Place your filament reel on top of the bearing. 6) Enjoy low-friction printing!