TPU Filament Clip (Fusion 360 parametric)

Design

I decided to try my hand at designing a filament clip made with flexible filament. I was inspired by Making Things.

I wanted good filament grip, easy to use, and fast print speed.

I experimented with many sizes and shapes. I settled on these 3 variations:

• Vertical

  • Easiest to handle, but slowest to print as it is printed with the handle vertical.

• Horizontal

  • Fastest print, but may not be the best holes as it is printed flat on the bed.

• No Handle

  • Best gripping, slightly harder for some to handle, good trade off on speed.

Customizing

The design is completely parametric. Here are the parameters, how they are used, and ranges:

• handleWidth

  • Controls the space between the filament gripper holes.

  • Suggested range: 10 to 20

  • Too narrow may be hard to use; Too wide just slows the printing.

• handleHeight

  • Controls how much of a handle there is for you to hold it.

  • Suggested range: 0 to 20 {not used in the No Handle variation}

  • Too small may be hard to use; Too much just slows the printing.

• diameterSmall

  • The diameter of the tightest hole to grip the filament.

  • Range: 1.7 or 1.8

• diameterMedium

  • The diameter of the looser hole to grip the filament.

  • Range: 1.9 or 2.0

• diameterLarge

  • The diameter of the top opening.

  • Range: 2.1 to 2.5

• wallThickness

  • Thickness of material around the holes.

  • Suggested range: 2.5 to 3.5

  • Too little makes the grips sloppy and loose. Too much just slows the printing.

• handleThickness

  • Thickness of the handle.

  • Suggested range: 2.5 to 3.5

  • Too little makes it feel flimsy. Too much just slows the printing.

• openingFactor

  • Controls how open the top of the filament hole is.

  • Range: 1.0 (completely closed) to 2.0 (completely open)

  • 1.05 or 1.10 makes a good snap.

• gripThickness

  • The length of the tube/hole for the filament.

  • Suggested range: 5 to 10

  • Too little makes the grips loose. Too much just slows the printing.

Printing

I used NinjaTek Cheetah. For the best filament holes, orient with the holes horizontal. I recommend .20 layer height for best holes, although larger layer heights may print faster (I did not try).

UPDATE: 26 Aug 2026

Printing at .40 layer height (with a .60 nozzle) is about twice as fast. And the variations No Handle and Vertical still make very good holes with a nice positive snap. Horizontal is still OK but not the best. So I now recommend .40 layer height if you have it.

Usage

I like to snap the loose end of the filament into one side of the clip - all the way down to the small hole for a good grip. Then hook the clip under another strand on the spool - using either hole is OK.