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Super-Size me (Spool and rack)

Posted: Sat Sep 23, 2017 9:51 pm
by zemlin
A client has been ordering a big assembly from me. The largest parts use over a half-spool of material, so I have to swap spools at the start of every build, and I end up with a lot of partial spools.

I decided I could use a bigger spool - one large enough to hold enough filament for 3-4 consecutive builds. That way I could splice together all the partial spools I have and get a few parts from the drops - and even when starting from new spools, I could splice two new rolls together and get 3 parts with less leftover material.

I took apart an eSun spool and stuck a core between the two halves. I tapped M6x1 threads into the new core so the existing screws would drive right in.
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A while back I made a spool rack that would hold two spools for my dual setup. I made the super-size spool the full width of my stand. A piece of 1-1/4" PVC pipe 6-5/8" long is what runs through the center of the spool(s) for support.
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Lastly, there's a spool-core.STL attached. Two of those, a piece of 3/8-16 threaded rod, a nut, and my cordless drill make quick work out of transferring filament from one spool to another. I'll post a couple more photos in a reply here.

Re: Super-Size me (Spool and rack)

Posted: Sat Sep 23, 2017 10:01 pm
by zemlin
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Just be sure you're driving the spool so if it slips, the torque will tighten the nut, not loosen it. The donor spool sits on a pipe clamped in a vice. The new spool requires a longer piece of threaded rod and some additional wrist strength.

Re: Super-Size me (Spool and rack)

Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2017 9:08 pm
by insta
Man, this was a problem/solution I had back when I made my own filament. Interesting to see it come back around :)

FWIW, you can order 5lb spools from William @ INTSERVO. The price is quite reasonable.

Re: Super-Size me (Spool and rack)

Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2017 8:44 pm
by psd
this is a very good solution, what are you doing to splice the filament together?