Purge Line Broom

Don't throw away your purge lines!

Recycle them into a handy broom!

The broom works very well and seems just perfect for cleaning the inside of your printer, your desktop and other smaller surfaces.

There is a main body (in “grip” or “handle” version) and an insert part. The insert gets screwed into the main body, folds the purge lines in halve and tightly secures them in place. Like this you can assemble a broom already with just a small amount of purge lines but for good functionality i would advice using ~ 60 or more (~120 bristles).

Update 27.01 - Purge Line Collection Bin:

Added 2 versions (AMS, no AMS) of a purge line collection bin that has indication levels of when you are able to make a new broom. The first line (at about 1/3rd of the height) marks the volume needed for a “Mini Sweeper” and filling the bin almost to the top is enough to make another dense, full sized broom. The bin is stackable.

Update 28.01: The 1/3rd sized “Mini Sweeper” version just got released! Download it here! It needs only 1/3rd of the amount of purge lines and is especially handy to reach these narrow corners in your printer, to clean your keyboard, etc. Enjoy :)

Assembly:

BOM: 4 x M3 screws with 16 - 20 mm length. Avoid countersunk screwheads or add washers.

Lay out your purge lines in 3 piles of about equal size. It works already with just a few purge lines but 30 or more per stack will result in a better grip and higher density. About 50 are used in this example (the maximum is probably around 80 per stack)

Place them on the clamp insert like shown in the picture and roughly align them in length.

Place the broom handle on top. The 4 guide rails of the insert have to slide inside the groves of the handle.

While pressing the two parts together, carefully turn the assembly around. Put the 4 x M3 screws in the holes and equaly tighten them with a few turns. You can use M3 screws with 16 - 20mm length, preferably 20mm for increased strength. Avoid using countersunk screwheads as they might split the printed insert part (if you have to, add washers).

Continue tightening the screws one by one until the purge lines start to bend upwards. Now you can pull on their ends individually to centre them - this is only important if you want a broom with long bristles.

Tighten the screws until the purge lines are bent all the way. Be careful not to overtighten them - it is still a plastic part - the screws tap their own thread but can break the thread with excessive force.

Cut the ends of the purge lines to your preferred size. Shorter bristles will be stronger, long ones are better to reach corners that are difficult to access.

Congratulations! Your new broom is now finished and ready to clean up the mess you just created :)

Print Profiles:

0.2mm Layer Height

3 Wall Loops (increased strength for the treads)

slowed down printing speed (for precision)

partial: Adaptive Layer Height (for the top rounding)

If you can't wait to print your own purge line broom but don't have the needed purge lines saved up yet, check out the “Mini Sweeper” version with 1/3rd of the size! Download here!

I hope you enjoy these designs :) If you have problems with the assembly or suggestions of any kind, let me know! I am planning a full sized broom sometime in the future but need to collect purge lines for another year at least to be able to test it ^^

All the best and happy printing, fmod :)