Close
0%
0%

Smooth spool holder with no bearing

Claw lids - recently designed spool holder for 3D printer

Similar projects worth following
Claw lids, probably the easiest and smoothest moving spool holder that doesn’t require ball bearings. The movement is very precise and the entire mechanism requires nothing but a single left over 8 milimeters rod piece.

The mechanism consists in a couple of lids mounted into the side holes of the spool. These lids are having 4 claws each and they slide on the smooth surface of the rod. The tips of the claws are gently pushing against the rod's surface and this uses the elastic properties of the PLA plastic. 

Check the links below for downloading all of the parts from the video.
Prusa (Mendel) i2 was my first printer to begin and experiment with. Once I started to gain experience, i began to recreate some parts and now I've decided to make them public. MK8 extruder: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/tool/mk8-dual-extruder-for-prusa-mendel
Heated bed adjuster: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/tool/heated-bed-adjuster
Prusa volume enlarger: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/tool/prusa-i2-volume-enlarger
Endstop holder: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/tool/end-stop-holder
Springy legs: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/tool/springy-legs
Spool holder: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/tool/claw-lids-spool-holder
Power supply holder: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/tool/atx-ps-holder

After you finish the filament, the lids can be replaced to anew spool. They easily snap into position and they can also be easily removed. 

  • 1
    Slice the parts using the following settings

    -3 top layers
    -3 bottom layers
    -3 shells
    -0.3 mm layer height
    -15% infill
    - PLA (ABS would crack - do not use ABS)

  • 2
    Insert the lids

    Snap on the newly printed claw lids to the spool of filament. Notice that they are different heights. Some of the spools are asymmetrical. match the lids according to the Desing of the spool. I also loaded multiple types of lids of various sizes. You can choose between them, scale them or trim them according to your needs. They should click into position and never require glue.  

  • 3
    Mind the direction of rotation

    The lids are having separate designs for L and R. They should be installed in such way that the claws are gliding in a tangential way to the rod. 

View all 5 instructions

Enjoy this project?

Share

Discussions

Marius Taciuc wrote 03/07/2019 at 01:29 point

Riiiight! I never thought of it... and I thought I'm being original. It seems like it's nothing new under the sun. 

  Are you sure? yes | no

Dan Maloney wrote 03/06/2019 at 15:52 point

These remind me of the inserts for 45 rpm records. That makes me happy.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Similar Projects

Does this project spark your interest?

Become a member to follow this project and never miss any updates