Ender 5 Mini Tool Changer by stuartofmt

Last crawled date: 3 years, 4 months ago

I wanted a tool changer and compact setup for an Ender 5. I have shamelessly repurposed / remixed pieces from several excellent contributors. Most of this should work equally well with most Creality printers.
The objective was to end up with an Ender 5 tool changing capability, provide better tool cooling, minimize loss of Y-axis, support a BLTouch, work with the standard Creality hotend as well as Microswiss / GulfCoast hotend.
Edit: - there is a prototype for Ed3V6 herehttps://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4660129
The Components for this mashup / remix are taken from these excellent things:
Quick tool change for Creality CR-10 / Ender series by ProperPrinting
Light? Quick tool change for Creality Ender3 by butt3rbr0t
MinV2 Ender 3 fan mount by ThijsOudeVrielink
Airflow Optimized Fan Mount by theduckom
My contribution was to adapt / combine / modify them for use with the Ender 5 as well as adding a little functionality along the way.
Note that this is a tool changer and means some loss of available Y-axis because of the way the Ender 5 is made. The loss is approximately 20mm. Since the Ender 5 bed is 235mm (total) the available print size is about 215 (i.e. about 5mm less than the advertised 220mm).
I have provided step and stl files for all the components. Since some of the step files were derived from stl files, the facet count will be high. Use your favorite software to create the stl files (don’t forget to repair the stl, if necessary, in your slicer).
OVERVIEW
Below is a brief description of the the results using the following component terminology; Exhange_Base_Clamp, Tool_Exchange_Base, Hotend_holder, Coolend_Fan_Duct, Tool_Fan_Duct.
A full description, printing tips, assembly etc. are in the pdf file.
I will refer to the original sourse things using these names for easier reference:
Quick Toolchanger by ProperPrinting
Lite Toolchanger by butt3rbr0t (a remix from the Toolchanger)
Mini Fan Mount by ThijsOudeVrielink
Optimized Fan Duct by theduckom ( a remix from The Mini Fan Mount)
Exchange_Base_Clamp
The Exchange_Base_Clamp comprises a Clamp Holder taken from the Lite Toolchanger and a Clamp Lever taken from the Quick Toolchanger (V2 Lever).
The Lite Toolchanger was chosen because of it’s slim (and elegant) design which minimized any reduction of space in the Y-axis. No changes were made.
Tool_Exchange_Base
The Tool_Exchange_Base was taken from the Quick Toolchanger and I incorporate a BLTouch mount from the Mini Fan Mount.
I removed a section from the BLTouch mount so that the belt attachment did not interfere with it. I also added a couple of slots for zip-ties to hold the BLTouch cable neatly. The BLTouch offset from the nozzle is X = + 40mm and Y= +2 mm.
Hotend_holder
The Hotend_holder was taken from Lite Toolchanger (so as to match the Tool_Exchange_Base).
I reduced the height of the hotend standoff and added additional elements for securing the Coolend_Fan_Duct (see below) as well as a strain relief section for the hotend heater and thermistor wires. A section at the back of the holder was removed to allow clearance for the (no longer used) Ender 5 hotend mounts on the carriage plate. I made all the holes go all the way through with hex nut slots on the back.
Coolend_Fan_Duct
During the initial prototyping – I used the Coolend_Fan_Duct from Mini Fan Duct and printed in PLA. I noticed some softening of the Hotend_holder where the hotend (standard Ender) attached. Some of this may have been because of the PLA and some due to inadequate airflow. I decided to use the Coolend_Fan_Duct from Optimized Fan Duct as it promised better airflow. In order to accommodate the Microswiss / Gulfcoast, I widened the mounting brackets a little (1.5mm), lengthened the mounting brackets (2mm) and modified the mounting holes to suit the Hotend_holder. Slots were added give a bit of adjustment.
Tool_Fan_Duct
The Tool_Fan_Duct was taken from Mini Fan Duct. It’s very thin and clips into place via a detent in the Coolend_Fan_Duct. It does wobble a little and in one of my experiments collide with the top layer during printing. I added a small mount to the front of the Tool_Fan_Duct and corresponding mount to the Coolend_Fan_Duct to help stabilize. I also created the step file so that the length of the Duct can be lengthened or (more likely) shortened.