Ender 3 Bearing Z-Stabilizer with Reinforced Bearing Filament Guide

Remixed from ‘Ender 3 Ball Bearing Filament Guide + Z-Axis Stabilizer’ by sealskin on Thingiverse to add reinforcement against potential destructive pressure.

Loved the original design but I wanted it to be a bit more robust and jam-proof at the pivot points of the filament guide. I replaced the bearing dowels with 2x 18mm M3 machine screws and nuts. I replaced the clip-together pivot that joins the bearing unit to the arm with a single 15mm button head M3 machine screw.

Also added a little cross-grain sleeve that slips over the end of the arm at the fulcrum. Being sliced and printed at a different orientation to the arm lends cross-graining strength to prevent the tip of the arm cracking at the pivot point under pressure from a filament tangle or other undesirable event.

I’ve also added a version of the z-knob with a smaller outer diameter (inner diameter and thread remain the correct T8 lead screw size). The original was 70mm across which is pretty big and looks awesome if you have very little going at the top of your printer frame. But for those like me who have other stuff taking up space up there (Eibos filament dryer mount) I found a 60mm diameter was a much easier fit while still functioning perfectly.

See included images for the build guide.

PS. Remember to slip the sleeve over the end of the arm before attaching the pivot screw to the fulcrum.

PPS. If the z-knob thread prints too loosely or too tight just scale up or down by 1-2%.

Hardware required:

3 x 608 (aka skate / fidget spinner) bearings

2x 18mm Socket or Button Head M3 + nuts

1 x 15mm Button Head M3

Print Settings

Rafts:

No

Supports: 

Yes

Resolution:

0.2

Infill: 

20

Filament: 3D Fillies / eSun PLA+ Black / Magenta

Category: 3D Printer Parts