Simple filament roll holder

[Kjetilei]

I made a simple filament roll holder a while ago that did not work too well due to the placement on the left side of the printer prohibiting the extruder from easily unwinding the roll automatically due to the filament getting caught by the roll or parts of the aluminum extrusion forcing me to "hand feed" the extruder by manually rotating the roll from time to time.

For a while I have thought of making a new holder that should be placed up on the x-axis aluminum extrusion to avoid this problem but never took the time to do it.

Today I realized that I could use my existing roll holder as a proof of concept and it works great. The only problem with the unmodified version is that the wires from the extruder "crashes" into the bottom of the roll due to too little clearance (as was to be expected).

I plan to adjust the design and simplify it a little and post the files and details but simply could not wait to post the design tonight.

You can even install two holders if you relocate/remove the handle.

Sorry for the bad photos. Low lit room and flash off. Directly from the phone with no editing

Proof of concept - photo made for easy viewing for the people from "down under" ;)

Base with ball bearing

Roll adapter

Roll clamp and ball bearing

[Lioric]

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It seems your printer is upside down, try disassembling and assembling it in reverse order

Nice spool holder

[Kjetilei]

I made an updated roll holder last week that does not crash with the extruder cables and it worked great except for one tiny detail; the roll turned so smooth that the filament would unwind and fall down when the extruder moved fast back and forth. The earlier design was made for a wider diameter roll that secured the filament from falling down.

But by inserting the filament with a 360 degree twist (forcing the filament to lift upwards) I got it to work without any problems. The roll does not move back and forth as nicely as before but it works without any problems.

In addition to the plastic parts it uses a 608 bearing, a m4 bolt (it should be longer than 15mm - the longer the better if you are afraid that the plastic part will delaminate) and a large washer on the top. The washer is most likely not needed but it secures the roll to the printer. In addition it uses two m4 bolts (can't remember the length I used), two small washers and two t-slot nuts.

Both parts need to be printed with support. I would suggest that the roll adapter is printed upside down.

The roll adapter is made for 1kg rolls from Reprapper (and might fit rolls from other vendors too) and is a tight press fit (I might adjust the diameter later)

[gfeliksdal]

Very nice solution for a filament roll holder It's a nice place to put the filament, because it gives some extra work space/table space. Try to print it soon and check how it works.

[Kjetilei]

Thanks!

The height could be reduced but I didn't want to take any chances with the extruder cables crashing into it like it did with the "prototype".

Let me know if you run into the filament-dropping-down-problem. I might not have explained the 360-degree twist good enough. I might just upload a video since that is much easier than explaining it

I planned to print another one tonight just before I saw your gcode upload in the High quality prints thread. That one is going where the handle normally is situated.

[HLA]

Nice filament holder. Thanks for the design files.

I personally prefer such "tube-designs" to bracket-designs (see another popular thread in the forum). The reason for this is the easier adaptability for different spool sizes and formats.

You mentioned that the holder is for spools from reprapper (aka repraper, but is shameless to mention). What is your experience with their PLA?

[Kjetilei]

Thanks! I really like it myself although it does look a bit odd sticking so high up. Most likely I could have reduced the hight with a cm or two

I have also made an adapter for larger rolls but not printed it yet. I'll post the files later when I have tested it.

I have a mixed feeling about the filament. It extrudes nicely and the result is very nice. All the blue prints I have made lately are the Reprapper filament. But as I'm about to post in the high quality print the last day has been frustrating for me with LOTS of hot end jams. I'm a bit uncertain but I believe it might have been caused by inconsistent diameter (I measured 1.85mm one place while it still was extruding and other parts of the filament may have been even wider) or contaminations. But as you might have read before I have been plagued with extruder jams before with filament from different sources. Until I have been able to check this out further I'm not going to cast a verdict.

PS: I bought 7kg from Reprapper a couple of days before Guillaume started selling filament...

[Kjetilei]

I posted a quick and dirty video of how to insert the filament to ensure it doesn't drop down:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgFPzLguRLQ

I also have to correct myself. I only twist the filament 270 degrees and not 360

If you wonder: I only added the prototype holder to the right temporarily. Yes it will crash with both the extruder cables and filament if the printed object is large

On the right side of the printer you can also see an aborted print of the filament roll holder on the left.

[HLA]

@Kjetilei: When looking at your last pictures with two spools, it seems that you are heading towards dual extrusion Just joking. Thanks for the info regarding the filament from reprapper . I had some experience with filaments from various suppliers in Europe, and it is amazing that they all behave in different way. Some don't stick to the bed, others ooze like mad or cause constant extruder jams. So far, the first filament I bought (from Guillaume) was the best.

But I am still looking for the soft-PLA. If anyone has a clue where to get one with 1,75mm diameter - please post!

[Kjetilei]

If having two roll holders on the printer almost makes it look like a dual extruder printer I should try to cram even more roll holders onto the poor thing I should be able to squeeze two rolls on each side and maybe another one between the blue and yellow one if I rearrange the cabling

Sorry for the bad jokes

I notice a big difference regarding adhesion to the hot bed between the yellow and the blue filament. The yellow clings like crazy to the bed while the blue is more of a struggle. I ended up sanding the tape lightly to improve adhesion and it worked nicely.

I haven't seen any providers of soft PLA in 1.75mm diameter but know there is aGerman supplier of soft PLA in 3.0mm. As I understand it, it's really hard to print with.