Universal Spool Holder for FlashForge Creator Pro by reececache

Last crawled date: 3 years, 1 month ago

Conic Design
The design I decided upon for this model was simple in concept, but quickly grew to be a slightly challenging modeling project. I decided that almost any filament spool could be nested on two opposing angled cones and have little horizontal give. So I took inspiration from DrLex's Adjustable Spool Holder and modeled a simple clip design to stick inside the printer, but realized the screw was cumbersome to use. The filament spool simply slides down to the lowest possible point of the cones angles based on its width, giving a nice stable hold for it, without ever having to putz with a screw after installation. It supports filament spools from 220g-2.25kg according to the MakeShaper specifications.
Two Versions (Comment for More Screw Support!)
At the moment, this thing has two versions. All versions will download, but they all come zipped. Only unzip the version you want to print. So far, this includes a completely 3D printable version that includes a printable screw model, and a version that is completely printable except the screws. Instead, this other version uses common Tetrix socket head screws, commonly used in FIRST robotics. These can be bought here: https://www.tetrixrobotics.com/Socket-Head-Cap-Screws10121.Note: Only two screws are required, so if these aren't laying around, or you don't need them for any other purpose just print them.
No Supports
Every version as of now, and to come, will have the option to print without supports. As inspired by DrLex, I included a thin wall that isn't attached to the overhang for an easy breakaway support. If you have a good support setup, and would prefer to use them however you can chose the model with No Integrated Support.
Heavily Inspired by DrLex
I bought my first 3D printer at the beginning of the year 2018, a FlashForge Creator Pro, a good out of the box machine that needs to be modified to fix some quirks. The first thing I found was a better filament spool holder. However, it sucked. I went looking for something more flexible and found DrLex's design and I was amazed in how it printed exceptionally well without supports. I love the design he used and how he cut out print time by making triangular holes in unnecessarily flat parts of the print.