Bearings for spool holder?

[add1ct3dd]

Do any exist? I know they won't directly fit, but perhaps there's a holder that would suit the thickness of the standard arms on the spool holder?

Printer prints awesome, but the retraction bang is hideous!

Any suggestions?

[teoman]

Search the forum and thingiverse. It was discussed recently.

[Captain Starfish]

Plenty of designs for spool holders with bearings, pretty easy to print and adapt to a bit of threaded rod and whatever cheapo skateboard bearings you can find on eBay etc.

[Eaglezsoar]

A search on Thingiverse for "spool holder bearings" brought up 405 results.
The quotes are not necessary. Sorry that I can't recommend one spool holder but everyone's needs are different.

[add1ct3dd]

That's the problem I find, that there are too many variations for all different solutions

I'm looking one specifically for the Rostock Max V2 arm ideally, I was assuming that people on here had just essentially put bearings on the stock arm, but I guess from the replies this is not the case .

[Captain Starfish]

There's a bazillion different options.

First off?

Get rid of the arm.

The uprights that hold it will support a 5/16" threaded rod (any hardware) through the guts with a couple of nuts and washers to hold it in place.

Easy to find bearings that will sit on the 5/16" shaft.

Then you can do any manner of different things. I printed specific hub adapters that fit precisely the spools I was using and sat on bearings, that worked ok but needed a new one every different supplier of filament.

Now I have two cones whose bases trap the bearings - fit pretty much any spool, just put them in and tighten the top/outermost one with a couple of nuts to lock everything in position and you're laughing.

The cones are a good "sod this, last ever print I'll do with the square arm" sendoff for the original setup.

[add1ct3dd]

Sounds good to me - got a link to the cones you used?

[Eaglezsoar]

The link to the great spool holder designed by Captain Starfish is here: http://forum.seemecnc.com/viewtopic.php ... ool#p42358

[add1ct3dd]

The link to the great spool holder designed by Captain Starfish is here: http://forum.seemecnc.com/viewtopic.php ... ool#p42358

That looks fantastic, cheers for the link.

I'm using a temporary measure currently - a sock over the standard one!

Works pretty well so far lol.

I'll get on and find some rod + bearings .

The nice thing is I already have spare M8 rod from my Prusa, so just need the bearings!

[Eaglezsoar]

The link to the great spool holder designed by Captain Starfish is here: http://forum.seemecnc.com/viewtopic.php ... ool#p42358

That looks fantastic, cheers for the link.

I'm using a temporary measure currently - a sock over the standard one!

Works pretty well so far lol.

I'll get on and find some rod + bearings .

The nice thing is I already have spare M8 rod from my Prusa, so just need the bearings!

You already have most everything you need except the correct size bearings.
I have found that the best (cheapest) source for bearings is Ebay or VXB.com

[Captain Starfish]

Yep. I was super surprised when I got a pack of ten bearings for under a buck each at my door from eBay.

I've since upgraded to this one: http://forum.seemecnc.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=6839

The cones mean I don't have to keep a collection of hubs, everything self-aligns quite nicely. Either way it makes such a difference. That clunking sound as the spool climbed the OEM arm and dropped was very similar to the sound that a skipping extruder makes and it was driving me up the wall. And I can't be sure but suspect that the changing tension on the spool throughout that cycle must have had some impact on filament delivery to the hot-end. Now? Quiet, smooth, don't have to think about it. Plus the spider thing looks cool!

I said 5/16 bar because this is primarily a murrrican site and apparently y'all struggle with complicated things like 8.0mm

But the bearings I'm using are actually 8mm ID, 24mm OD and 8mm thick. If you want to keep it simple, grab some bearings of those dimensions, just print the cones in the link and press the bearings in. Bit of 8mm rod, four nuts to go with, two washers.

-- NUT -- WASHER -- UPRIGHT ON PRINTER -- WASHER -- NUT -- Back cone -- spool -- front cone -- NUT - NUT --

The two nuts locked on the end just stop it tightening or loosening off as the spool turns. You could use a Nylock nut but I find it's easier and quicker to whip the two nuts on and off when changing spools.

[add1ct3dd]

Nice cheers, and yep agreed, the cones are perfect.

Picked up some bearings on eBay this morning, bid last night and it ended at 8am this morning, got them for 1p (8 abec-5 bearings of correct size), 2.49 postage

Bargain!

Oh and p.s. I'm from the UK, so when you said 5/16, I had to go to Google to convert it

[Captain Starfish]

Google got double tapped then, that's where I worked out to convert 8mm to murrrican.