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3D Printer Filament Spool Washers

The auto-rewind spindles for PolyDryer boxes fit a variety of spools, but recessed hubs like this require a pair of washers to center the spindles:

Filament spool washers - recessed hub
Filament spool washers – recessed hub

They’re laser-cut, although you could print them easily enough:

Filament spool washers - recessed hub - installed
Filament spool washers – recessed hub – installed

The size for that particular spool:

  • OD = 80 mm
  • Flange side ID = 51 mm
  • Nut side ID = 43
  • Thickness = ¼ inch, near enough

Other spools required a 3 mm shim on the flange side to sit centered in the PolyDryer boxes. Those are basically identical what you see above, with a 72 mm OD matching the flange.

The PETG-CF filament arrived on cardboard spools, which are apparently the new hotness:

Filament spool washers - printed
Filament spool washers – printed

The 56 mm spool ID requires adapters on both sides, with the flange side getting a 4 mm shim:

Filament spool washers - printed shim - flange side
Filament spool washers – printed shim – flange side

That skootches the spool over against the 1 mm shim on the nut side:

Filament spool washers - printed - nut side
Filament spool washers – printed – nut side

It would be possible to modify the auto-rewind spindle diameters to suit, if you were a dab hand with Fusion360, but the variety of hubs around here tells me a set of cheap adapters & shims makes more sense.

You should not assume anything will fit the spools you have, no matter how much they resemble what you see above.

The OpenSCAD source code as a GitHub Gist:

// Polymaker PolyDryer auto-rewind spool washers
// Ed Nisley – KE4ZNU
// 2025-05-20
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
Layout = "Show"; // [Show,Build]
/* [Hidden] */
HoleWindage = 0.2;
Protrusion = 0.1;
NumSides = 3*3*4;
$fn=NumSides;
ID = 0;
OD = 1;
LENGTH = 2;
Gap = 5.0; // Build separation
SpoolWidth = 20.0; // Show separation
FlangeOD = 72.0; // auto-rewind spindle
FlangeHubOD = 50.5 + 1.0;
NutOD = 77.0;
NutHubOD = 42.0 + 1.0;
//———-
// Define Shapes
module EryOneCF(Side = "Flange") {
SpoolID = 56.0 – 1.0;
SpoolSideThick = 3.0;
if (Side == "Flange")
tube(4.0,od=FlangeOD,id=FlangeHubOD,anchor=BOTTOM) // flange side
position(TOP)
tube(SpoolSideThick,od=SpoolID,id=FlangeHubOD,anchor=BOTTOM);
if (Side == "Nut")
tube(1.0,od=NutOD,id=43.0,anchor=BOTTOM) // nut side
position(TOP)
tube(SpoolSideThick,od=SpoolID,id=NutHubOD,anchor=BOTTOM);
}
//———-
// Build things
if (Layout == "Show") {
left(SpoolWidth/2) yrot(90) EryOneCF("Flange");
right(SpoolWidth/2) yrot(-90) EryOneCF("Nut");
}
if (Layout == "Build") {
left((FlangeOD + Gap)/2) EryOneCF("Flange");
right((NutOD + Gap)/2) EryOneCF("Nut");
}

Comments

2 responses to “3D Printer Filament Spool Washers”

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