Snapmaker 2.0 filament spool holder

Summary

A mod for the stock filament spool holder on the Snapmaker 2. While designed for the Snapmaker, it should be fine with anything that uses an 8mm diameter rod to hold the filament.

The Problem

I think the Snapmaker is a pretty well engineered machine - except for the filament holder. The spool flopping around on the little metal bar just seems really out of place.

The Solution

By reducing the size of the hole in the middle of the spool, the spool will be better balanced and roll smoothly, rather than being dragged around. The conical design allows for fitting to many different brands of filament. (If you find one that doesn't work, let me know!)

Instructions

• Print the "axle" and "cone".
• Put your filament spool onto the axle.
• Screw the cone onto the axle.
• Screw in both sides until the spool is held. Don't go crazy on the tightening, it just has to hold gently.
• Remove the end cap from the filament holder on the Snapmaker.
• Slide the axle onto the holder.
• Replace the end cap.

Printing

No special print requirements, feel free to use whatever material and settings work for you. I just churned these out with eSun PLA+ and a custom profile in PrusaSlicer 2.5: 10% infill at a layer height of 0.24mm with the print speed jacked up to 200mm/sec.

After printing, give the threads a quick clean up to make sure there aren't any stringy bits that will get in the way. It can help to screw the sides on and off a couple of times just to get any bits of residue out of the way. It will likely be quite tight at first, but should free up very quickly.

Revision History

27 January 2023: Added the FreeCAD files to the model. On a whim, recreated the models to be parametric to make them easier to customise. Uploaded those as well.

11 January 2023: Recreated in FreeCAD rather than OpenSCAD, mainly for the learning exercise. Decided it worked better as two pieces rather than three. Dropped the razor sharp edged version from the collection.

16 August 2021: Added a new cone version with rounded edges. It's a little nicer on the fingertips when tightening the spool.

12 August 2021: Initial version