UFS-114 2" Tape Dispenser (50mm)

The original design was great https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4110302
but there is always room for improvement. The original designer, Tetralite, did his own update and made a version 3. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4927980

For me, the blade needed improvement.

1. The blade needed to be sharper. This is a challenge with plastic. It is hard to get the teeth as sharp as a metal blade. I've designed my own parts with plastic blades and they didn't work too well.

I decided that a better approach would be to stand the part on end. Then by using thinner layers, I could get a sharper tip. It worked ok at 0.12mm. You will need supports. Depending on your printer, it may be best to avoid support on the blade.

1. The height of the blade is too far above center of the roll of tape. To me this it felt too high. When compared to other tape dispenser, this was too high. This was an easy adjustment to the left and right hand frame parts.

2. The blade had too much surface area. For sticky tapes, like packing tape, it would stick too much. I added a dished area to reduce the top surface. I also angled the teeth of the blade upward to reduce the sticking.

3. I recommend using 4mm x 0.7mm x 10mm Socket Head Cap Screw for the assembly. The counter bores are designed for this type of screw.

Except for the blade (at 0.12) you can print everything else at .16 or .20 height.

For packing tape, I suggest pulling very quickly on the tape. It still doesn't cut perfectly but a sharp pull helps it shear more evenly.

I wasn't alone in thinking the blade needed improvement. The designer Estep made this remix, https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4949217 (It looks more like a complete redesign based on the original.) His is good, but I still like my fixes better.

I used PLA.

I recommend using 4mm x 0.7mm x 10mm Socket Head Cap Screw for the assembly. The counter bores are designed for this type of screw.