Half-Kilo Spool Holder - for Monoprice Select Mini

My first printer only accommodated filament spools with a large hole in them, and I wanted to use some small half-kilo roles, so designed this as the solution.

The first Monoprice Select Mini was a cheap yet capable 3D printer, with terrible manufacturing quality control :).  Seriously, many people who bought it had probs with manufacturing errors.  Mine had crimp connector with no conductors in it, and display with artifacts right out of the box. Others reported quickly-failing power supplies.

But with the very low price and excellent print quality (once tuned) it was hard to argue with it. It's most suitable for those with some electronics career experience. (The unit is manufactured and sold under other names too.)

The spool holder for filament, while it fits a 1kg spool okay, did not fit the half-kilo spool I eventually purchased.

So this design was an idea for a holder that would slip over the existing post and support a half-kilo spool in a useful orientation.

There were two little tabs on the factory metal spool holder that needed to be bent out of the way. Caution though, those tabs kept the big spool away from the housing.  I like to ensure I have a spacer when using the 1kg spools to keep them from snagging the unit housing.  I find there is enough 'sag' to the metal holder than the spool stays away from the unit anyway, but just-sayin'.

Made for a half-kilo spool that has a hub-hole of about 32mm.

Printing Notes 

Seems nicely rigid and functional with 25% fill, and .2mm resolution was enough for a nice clean result.

Note that it prints at a 45º angle on the print-surface to fit on the Mini's smaller bed.

Part photo attached is a v1 print. The version2 STL file attached had a few improvements (like the slight up-tilt to counteract strut angle) and a dimensional fix.

Post-Printing

Fit to the MP Select Mini's Existing spool holder

The existing spool holder has a couple of poke-out tabs near the unit. These keep a regular 1kg spool away from the housing. Some spools can snag on the unit potentially, so having a spacer here is a good idea. Perhaps print yourself a little chunk to stick in here after you've bent the tabs out of the way, so this half-spool holder will slide over the metal strut.

Use a spacer when you're not using your half-kilo spool, and you'll be okay.

Design Date:  Aug 2016