A1 Mini Compact Spool Holder v3 + Handle
Print Profile(6)




Description
This is my third iteration of my compact spool holder design. The purpose of this spool holder design is to decrease the overall footprint of the printer and accommodate the spool holder location for most user scenarios. This spool holder saves much more space than the stock spool holder included with the A1 mini and is much more customizable than other a1 mini spool holder designs.
Features:
- No external hardware required and easy assembly! This print will use the existing screws and connections from the base printer.
- Sturdy handle to transport the printer; simply fold the spool arm in to compact form and carry away.
- 11 height settings, 90 degrees for spool arm, and reversable spool cylinder (spool cylinder can be installed facing toward the printer or away from printer) - the ultimate design to accommodate for any space restrictions!
- Latch mechanism to securely lock the height position of spool arm in place.
- Clean, sleek design and compact form factor.
- Additional PTFE tube connector.
Improvements from v2 design:
- Adjustable height: with the v2 design, you could fold the arm in and out, but the height position remained stationary. With this design, you can adjust the height to clear the build volume, meaning you can print with the spool holder in the folded position (given that you adjust the height accordingly).
- No build volume interference!! If you look at the second to last picture, you'll notice that the swivel mount does not encroach on the print volume. This is an improvement on the v2 design, which had an end stop for the spool arm that unfortunately encroached on the build volume.
- Spool cylinder cap: from the feedback of the v2 design, I designed a spool cylinder cap to push at the end of the spool cylinder. This will better secure the spool cylinder in place during the a1 mini's vibration calibration.
- PTFE tube connector: the previous designs (v1 & v2) didn't really address the optimal position for the PTFE tube location. This design has a female connector to mount to when the spool cylinder is facing towards the printer.
IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS:
- If you want to use the printer while the spool arm is in its folded position and at its lowest height, beware that you may have a collision with your print!!
- A lot of care and thought has been taken to guarantee that the Z-rail is rigid and strong enough to easily hold 1 kg filament rolls. However, do not use excessive force on the arm or try to handle the entire printer from just the spool holder. There is already an integrated handle to the design, and excessively straining the spool holder can result in damage to the printer.
- I recommend using the PTFE mount on the spool arm when the spool cylinder is facing towards the printer. Recall that the spool cylinder is reversable, so if the spool cylinder is facing away from the printer, please use the original PTFE tube mount.
- After some time, you may notice some marks on the aluminum extrusion due to sliding the spool holder up and down. Don’t worry! If you are using PLA, this is normal wear from the plastic. From my experience so far, sliding the arm up and down does not scratch the powder coat of the aluminum extrusion.
Assembly instructions:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pPRUOxuVOs4dWDeUhBI-QhAFZDlocThiVabbcVBsGdc/edit?usp=sharing
Special thanks to everyone who provided feedback and critiques from my previous spool holder designs! (especially @fancyage who gave me the idea to make the height adjustable). Thanks for checking this out, I'd really appreciate if you could drop a like and share!
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Documentation (1)
License
You shall not share, sub-license, sell, rent, host, transfer, or distribute in any way the digital or 3D printed versions of this object, nor any other derivative work of this object in its digital or physical format (including - but not limited to - remixes of this object, and hosting on other digital platforms). The objects may not be used without permission in any way whatsoever in which you charge money, or collect fees.






























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