Filament Spool Drybox – Ikea 365+

I designed this drybox with optimal space usage and minimal printing volume in mind. It uses practically all the available space inside the Ikea container. It can hold larger filament spools than other Ikea 365+ dryboxes I have seen. It is rigid and easy to print due to its design.

Frame fits easily to most medium size printers. Other parts like silica container and label holder slides into tongue-and-groove joints in the frame. No screws or glue needed. Rollers need bearings and filament feed through container needs fittings and PTFE tubing.

See also my other parts for this drybox in my collection.

Note: Photos still have the original v1.0 frame.

Frame

Frame is the main component of the drybox. It holds the rollers and other accessories. It is lightweight and has thin but strong walls to allow good use of space. Frame size is 165×234×69 mm (W×L×H).

Stress test for v1.1 frame shows that it can stand multiple times the weight it's meant for. That's total of 10 kg weight on the frame.

Update 2024-06-18 – Frame version 1.1

• Added bridges to side walls from roller to roller. This adds needed strength to frame but does not affect the maximun spool size.
• Middle wall “bridge” modified to match new side wall bridges.
• Lowered perpendicular wall suppots. This gives side walls more flexibility to help install the rollers.

Rollers

Standard roller

Filament spool holder was mainly designed to be used with this roller. Use it if you don't have special need for other rollers.

Large diameter roller for small spools

Large diameter roller can hold smaller diameter spools. It is primary meant to be used in pair with a standard roller. You can use two large rollers to hold even smaller spools but then the silica container won't fit.

Small diameter roller for extra large spools

With small diameter rollers the maximum diameter of filament spool is 211 mm. It's not much more than with the standard rollers, but it might be just what is needed.

Spool total limits means theoretical maximum limits, i.e. when the spool touches container or frame. Practical limits have some margins.

I have tested the frame and the rollers with only a limited number of different spools. I have had no troubles with small design margins and tight fittings, but let me know if you have any. I can for example make rollers with larger end walls to keep spools furter away from the frame.

Silica gel container

Silica gel container has grooves which slide into tongues in either end of the frame. Containers smallest air gap is 1.8 mm and it should keep silica gel beads in pretty well to my experience.

End piece and label holder

To the other end of the frame you can choose either a simple end piece or a label holder.

Label size is 54×18×1.2 mm with 48×18 visible area. I made labels for some common filaments. I also put a blank label to files. If you need some other just let me know and I'll make it for you.

Additional parts

Container

You will need one Ikea 365+ 10,6 liter food container. That's a must-have, kinda (or you can use the frame and rollers on a table too if you wish…).

Bearings

608 or 688 bearings depending on wich rollers you choose to use. Bearing might have letters after numbering. That means sealing type. Most common are 2RS = rubber seal and ZZ = metal seal. Metal sealed ones might have a lower rolling resistance, which is better.

PTFE tube and fittings

Drybox needs some sort of a feed-through for filament. My preferred method is to use a pneumatic connector with ⌀4 mm quick connect and M6 thread in other end. This connector can hold ⌀4 mm PTFE tubing also in the threaded end. Not as firmly as the quick connect but it seems to work. Ikea 365+ containers wall thickness is 2 mm and a thread tap can be used to make threads for the M6 connector. Just be carefull not to overtighten. For extra safey and looks I use additional M6 flange nuts (DIN 6923) on the inside to hold the connectors. Normal M6 nuts works also just fine.

Other possibility is to use a fitting that has ⌀4 mm quick connect on both ends and has a M12 thread on body. One could also use any 3D printed option found e.g. on this site.

Spool centerlines are ~40 mm to the left and right from the center line of the container. Put feed-throughs where they suite your needs. I personally feed filament from bottom of the spools. Someone else could feed filament from the top. Someone might even feed it through the container lid. I have additional feed-throughs to hold PTFE tubing when the spool is not in use. So basically I could feed filament from the bottom or from the top.

For PTFE tubing I use one with inner ⌀2 mm and outer ⌀4 mm. I have 30 cm long tubes on the outside. Inside the container in the feeding connector I have 10 cm long tubes to guide the filament from the spool. Upper connectors have 30 cm tubing inside so that I can push unused filament inside and I don't have to cut it all away.

• ⌀4 mm / M6 connectors at "5A Plus" in AliExpress
• Flange nuts at "SCREWHOME Store" in AliExpress
• ⌀4 mm / ⌀4 mm connectors at "JUYORON Official Store" in AliExpress
• ⌀2 mm / ⌀4 mm PTFE tubing at "5A Plus" in AliExpress

Silica gel

Just remember that blue and orange humidity indicator colors in silica are toxic and carcinogenic. Yellow to white indicator is more safe. Maybe just don't use indicator colors and put a hygrometer inside the container?

Printing

All parts are designed to be printed with 0.4 mm or 0.6 diameter nozzles with 0.2 mm or 0.3 mm layer height respectively. Some parts have maximum overhang angle of 60°. Just print them slowly. I printed all parts with good old cheap PLA.

I have used these settings with 0.4 mm nozzle:

Frame

• Wall loops: 2
• Bottom layers: 2
• Top layers: 2 (3 if you want smooth surface)
• Bottom surface pattern: Monotonic
• Top surface pattern:
  • Monotonic
  • Concentric from 3.2 to 68.4 mm
• Infill: Rectilinear
• Infill density: 15 … 20 %
• Infill direction: Rotate this to your liking. I use 0° or 90° to gain long parallel lines on surface.
• Support:
  • Type: Normal (manual)
    • Use support only on side wall bridges (see image below)
  • Style: Snug

Rollers

Print in vertical position.

• Wall loops: 2
• Bottom layers: 3
• Top layers: 3
• Bottom surface pattern: Concentric 
• Top surface pattern: Concentric 
• Infill: Triangles
• Infill density: 20 … 25 %
• Scarf joint seam: Contour and hole
• Supports: No

Silica gel container

Print the lid upside down.

• Wall loops: 2
• Bottom layers: 2
• Top layers: 2
• Bottom surface pattern: Monotonic
• Top surface pattern:
  • Monotonic
  • Concentric from 3.8 to 30.0 mm
• Infill: Rectilinear
• Infill density: 15 … 20 %
• Infill direction: Rotate this to your liking. I use 0° or 90° to gain long parallel lines on surface.
• Supports: No

End piece and label holder

• Wall loops: 2
• Bottom layers: 2
• Top layers: 2 (3 if you want smooth surface)
• Bottom surface pattern: Monotonic
• Top surface pattern:
  • Monotonic
  • Concentric from 6.0 to 21.6 mm
• Infill: Rectilinear
• Infill density: 15 … 20 %
• Infill direction: Rotate this to your liking. I use 0° or 90° to gain long parallel lines on surface.
• Supports: No