Tube roller

thingiverse

An adaptation of alany's tube key http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:21410 that includes a squasher frame and end cap to hold the key in place. The slot in the squasher is offset to help the tube go around the key. Updated June 2019 Anything marked v2 is the updated version. You'll still need the original key part. The cog is slightly larger, giving it a larger hole. As a result it is a loose fit on the key, which makes it easier to remove when you want to take an empty tube out. In use, the ratchet holds it in place, but it you want to make it permanent, a bit of super glue (CA) will lock it to the key. V2 of the frame has a beefier ratchet spring (it's still a thin bit of PLA, so it will always be delicate). The new frame also has a bulge that pushes into the neck of the tube in an attempt to extract every last bit. But as Bill Bryson once observed, there's always more toothpaste in the tube. Instructions Push the key through the two holes - it's meant to be tight - and then push the end cap on the key to stop it coming back out. Later... It was pointed out that the .stl file had two parts higher than the third one, so I've tried to realign them and centre them on the platform. New .stl uploaded that is, in all other respects, the same as the original. Later still... I beefed up the frame a bit as some people said it was too flimsy. I had also noticed that, whilst aluminium tubes work ok, plastic ones try to unroll themselves, so I turned the end cap into a ratchet wheel and added a spring to the end of the frame. It seems ok, but only time will tell. Use the original key, but use the tpr2 ratchet and tpr2frame to make the improved version.