This is a candy dispenser for things like M & Ms. I printed two of them for my meds, one for AM pills, another for PM pills (the tubes hold seven containers each). For my meds, I printed the pill cups too. I just wanted to see how they would come out. They're great.

Then, it occurred to me that my grandkids would get a kick out of a candy dispenser. And they head straight for it when they come to visit granny. (Cell phone photos don't do it justice. The make everything look bowed.)

I'm including a folder for STL files for those who prefer them.

The 3MF file is a package of individual 3MF files that can be opened in Bambu Studio and printed according to the settings I recommend, or you can tweak them if you wish.

2.0 Standard is probably adequate, but I nearly always use 1.6 High Quality. I'm retired and not in a hurry. I printed my earlier ones on an Ender 3. This new iteration, made for candy, was printed on my BL P1S. I used a generic white PLA.

It would be a ton of fun making it multi-colored, but I don't have an AMS... yet.

What about the empties? Just put them back in the tube. Granny will refill them.

THINGS NEEDED BUT NOT PRINTABLE:

1. From Home Depot or other home store: One T8 fluorescent light bulb shield:  Link: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Metalux-4-ft-T8-Fluorescent-Bulb-Tube-Guard-with-End-Caps-LTG04T8/305236870.

The last time I made one of these dispensers, Home Depot had the tubes in stock. The clerk told me today they were online only. Lowes is next door. I'll go there tomorrow. I'd like to make a few more dispensers for gifts.

ABOUT THOSE TUBES:

The tubes are marketed as 48". I failed to take an actual measurement, so after discarding the plastic caps, the tubes may be a bit shorter. Each candy dispenser requires one tube that finishes out at 8.25" or 210mm. Five tubes would be 41.25", so five dispensers can be made with one tube shield. If you're wondering, these tubes are designed to keep glass from falling down should someone accidentally break a florescent tube. I cut mine with a pair of scissors and that was good enough, but if you're a perfectionist, you should know that the ends won't be perfectly square if you cut them while squished by the scissors. I need to print some kind of jig for improving this process. Or maybe you will.

EDIT: Just back from Lowes. Plenty of them in stock for $5.98. Item #1034647. Actual usable length: 46.25"/8.25" = 5 Candy Dispensers.

NOTE: Scroll to the bottom to see how I chose to cut the tubes. 

NOTE: At some point I need to change The Gauge so that the clear tube is shorter by .75". And then, the tube would be cut to 7.75" rather than 8.25". This was an oversight when designing the dispenser. The photo below shows some wasted space if you use the cups from Hobby Lobby: Too much space for seven, not enough for 8.

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2. Screw and anchors: Mine came from Home Depot and they are: Everbilt #4 - #6 x 7/8in, 50px.  Here's a photo:

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3. The cups came from Hobby Lobby and are designed for storing beads. Hopefully you can find them elsewhere if you don't have a Hobby Lobby, or, you could order them, item # 1190693, hobbylobby.com. Here's a photo:

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Here are some dimensions if you want to try to match them up elsewhere: 25mm diameter, 28.4mm tall. Those are my dimensions, they're also on the package in the photo. 

ASSEMBLY

The photo below shows the Base and the Rotor assembled (actually the base, the rotor, and the spindle). I used a level and an awl to make the first hole in the drywall and then I tapped in a plastic anchor. I put the first screw almost all the way in through the assembly flange, and again, held the level on the assembly and punched the second hole. Then, I let the assembly rotate to give access to the hole and then tapped in the second anchor. Now run the second screw through the assembly flange and all the way in and then, back the two screws off about 1/2 turn.

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In the photo below, notice the pocket.

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In the photo below, I have inserted The Gauge into the pocket. Make sure the gauge is fully seated. Tighten the screws.

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In the photo below, I used the gauge to position the upper tube bracket.

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See photo below. Punch a hole in the wall for the upper bracket and then remove the bracket and gauge.

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Make sure the top tube bracket is level and tighten the screw (see photo below).

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Loosen the screws on the base enough to remove the gauge and insert the lower tube bracket (see photo below).

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As shown in the two photos below, make a hole for the bottom bracket anchor and tap the anchor in. Tighten all three screws.

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Now squeeze the clear tube enough to push it through the top tube bracket. Now seat the tube in the bottom tube bracket.

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Now, fill 'er up with M&Ms or your candy of choice.

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Apparently Maker World won't let me upload how-to photos after so many days. But it will let me upload them without any written instructions to go with them. So here is the how-to for cutting them. Unfortunately, they require downloading. 

Cutting the tubes is clearly the most difficult part of the project. Simply cutting them with a pair of scissors has always worked for me even though it leaves the ends out of square. The Tube Brackets hide that, but I really don't like the idea of sloppy workmanship. So here's the technique this 78 y/o man with tremors used this time:

How to make a square cut line: Wrapping a piece of printer paper around the tube produces a square line. With a marker, use the edge of the paper to make a nice line around the tube. 

Stuffing a paper towel in the tube helped helped with support, but maybe it would be a good idea to print a plug that fits loosely inside the tube and then wrap it with a paper towel.

Then I took a new single-edged razor blade and slowly made my way around. It came out quite nice. I wondered about a heated razor blade but just went for it cold. So it's your weapon of choice, just be very careful.