Burly Filament Spool Holder - 1KG

This roller ensures minimal friction for filament payout. I am replacing my edge rolling 608 bearing Tush spool holders as they may bind a bit with cardboard spools if the edges are dented/compromised which cause under-extrusion. See image in photos for the issue I experienced(it was bad). I love cardboard spools and select them when I can(less to the landfill) and I don't want that to affect print quality. You can use the edge rings on them but I feel this is not something I want to risk forgetting in the future so this new spool carrier eliminates that variable. I like my print setup to be simple stupid. :)

This style of filament roller(center spool) also ensures the extruder has the best mechanical advantage to pull against any rotational friction with the least effort.

I wanted no sag in the bolt angle to avoid the spool resting on the sides of the spool hence the more stout design. I tried using a centering concave surface spool but the cardboard spools walked up the sides into the spool wall introducing some friction.

The bottom of this holder has two holes(front and back) to sit on screws on the place this is used to keep the stand from drifting. Use of these is optional.

Tower and base are printed such that they have the best strength from the layer line orientation.

Tower snugly inserts into the base (0.1mm of tolerance for this).

This system spins so freely I had to add a small piece of PTFE tube in the hole at the top of my enclosure to add a touch of friction so the spool does not spin when the extruder moves and jerks on the spool.

Hardware required:

(2) 608 bearings - the larger the lot you buy off Amazon, the cheaper per bearing. These are the commonly use bearings in skateboards and roller skates and scooters.

(1) 4 1/2" 5/16-18 Bolt with smooth surface up to last 1" of thread. An 8mm bolt of similar length works as well with the 609 bearings.

(2) washers (the ones I use are just slightly smaller than the outer race of the bearing so they only rest against the inner race since I have rubber covers on the side. One on each end of the roller.

(4) M4x35 cap head screws to secure the tower to the base

(4) Rubber feet - these are really useful for other designs. Use a 10mmx2mm recess for securing in your designs.

Printing instructions

Tower and base - print as oriented

• (5) top and bottom layers

• (4) perimeters (ensures your screws have decent walls to anchor against and not crack).

Spool

• print as oriented

• supports for spool bearing opening on bottom - snug fit supports remove cleanly

Material - PETG - no creep over time under weight.

I used a few drops of super glue to secure the spool cap to the main spool body.

The alignment nubs are for installing into the base where your filament holder will sit. This prevents drift. I drilled holes in my IKEA LACK enclosure surface and put a drop of wood glue on the ends to install these securely. My filament holder just sets on top of these.

When installing the spool bolt to the tower, hold the spool down as it will help ensure the bolt is perpendicular when self-threading. install only tight enough to stop the spool from shifting around. SHould have a half mm of slack on the bolt when installed so the bearing races are not pinched.