A1 mini Z-Axis Cap with Tangle Free Filament Guide

Probably most of us have already noticed this problem - the arm-mounted filament PTFE tube moves up and down, causing the filament to be pulled off the spool, getting tangled around the spool holder and interrupting the print job.

I tried several solutions but none of them convinced me. Either the printer arm hit the holder, the tension on the PTFE tube was too high or the filament rubbed against the spool, which led me to develop a new solution.

My idea is to merge the filament guide with the Z-axis cap while maintaining enough clearance for the filament to roll up smoothly. This should make any entanglement issues a thing of the past.

Two versions are available:
•    30 mm arm length - more compact
•    40 mm arm length - more spool centric 

The top logo is an SVG file that can be added/changed in the slicer.
 

Assembly instructions:

1. Remove the front screw from Z-axis cap

2. Take off the top cover

3. Replace the original cap with the printed one. It should snap into place like the original cover. If not, check whether there is a burr on the little snap nose in the back and remove it

4. Fix the new cap with original screw

5. Remove the existing PTFE tube connector from the current bracket. The connector has two small locking lugs and can be pulled out with a little force. Please refer to the Bambulab video guide: https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/a1-mini/maintenance/a1-mini-com. When done, insert the connector into the new holder on the Z-axis.

6. Change the orientation of the spool so that it now feeds from the top