Filament Enclosure Tap (1.75mm) by dottom22

Last crawled date: 3 years ago

This part was inspired by the many filament cleaners that use a hollow chamber filled with some pliable porous material. However the intent of this was to allow the spool and spool holder remain in a moisture resistant container while in use by the printer. This is my second rendition so far and am still working out some of the kinks.
Instructions:
Your container that holds the spool and spool holder must have a 22mm whole drilled out to fit the threaded portion through. Then an equal sized O-Ring or gasket between the NUT and inner side of the case. Tighten the Nut until the Tap is firmly in place.
The inside of the Tap will allow any soft sponge or foam material and the filament to punch through, creating a semi moisture resistant seal as well as cleaning the filament. This model allows for 1.75mm filament.
For all other Non-Bowden Taps:
Your tap (when mounted to a case) must be in a relatively parallel position to the extruders path or it will snag and cause some drag on the extruder motor.
For Bowden Tap:
The bowden version, which uses PTFE tubing from Tap to extuder can follow relatively radical paths (within reason) as the tube and pneumatic fittings help to guide the filament.
New Bowden Style Fitting (4mm, M6)
Please use the following pneumatic fittings for the new Taphttps://www.amazon.com/TOOTO-Straight-Pneumatic-Connect-Extruder/dp/B019RQ5EYE/ref=pd_sim_328_32?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B019RQ5EYE&pd_rd_r=8A6CF1XWP8R05W7GZTW3&pd_rd_w=NASUx&pd_rd_wg=uru9m&psc=1&refRID=8A6CF1XWP8R05W7GZTW3
The port on the front of the tap is designed so the threads of the fitting "bite" into the plastic. Thus far it hasn't given me issues when attaching one.
Construction Tips:
I used a thin sheet of craft foam to make my own gasket.
Be careful when cutting the hole out of the box as it cracks easily. I used an exacto knife.
Trouble notes:

When the filament pulled through the tap, it may feel snug. That's because the tolerance's are .25mm. However I have never had a snagging issue or problems with the extruder not getting enough filament.

If however the filament is TOO snug and hard to pull through due to the whole not printing perfectly round I recommend using a small Needle File (The rat tail style, looks like the pointy end of a chopstick) and gently spinning it in the opening. Then test a piece of filament. Don't do it too much or you'll loose the Tap's ability to keep a seal from the outside moisture.
Update Log:
3/12/17 - I have added two new NUT files. One that is 98% and one that is 96% the size of the tap. If your printer is NOT precise and has issues with accurate prints, use the 98%. If your printer is precise and is able to print tight tolerances, print the 96% nut for a snug fitting part.
3/3/17 - I have added a new version that accepts the 5mm PTFE fitting for "Bowden" style systems.
Fitting can be found here:https://www.amazon.com/TOOTO-Straight-Pneumatic-Connect-Extruder/dp/B019RQ5EYE/ref=pd_sim_328_32?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B019RQ5EYE&pd_rd_r=8A6CF1XWP8R05W7GZTW3&pd_rd_w=NASUx&pd_rd_wg=uru9m&psc=1&refRID=8A6CF1XWP8R05W7GZTW3
The port on the front is friction or tension based so it is dependent upon the threads cutting into the plastic to hold tight. It works so far but let me know if you all have issues.