The right 3D printer spool holder can greatly enhance your printing experience. Check out the best models to buy or DIY!
If you have an FDM 3D printer, you likely already have a spool holder for your filament, so why would you want a new one?
Well, spool holders can seem simple, but not all of them are created equal. Plopping your filament onto a pipe might work, but there are plenty of ways an improved spool holder will improve your workflow: It might accommodate more spool sizes, relocate your filament to a more accessible spot, unspool more easily, or even protect your filament from moisture.
As such, we’ve pulled together a list of some of the best 3D printer spool holders out there. For our selection, we’ve found the models that offer the best in terms of the following:
- Ease of use: How easy is the filament to get to? How easy is it to mount? Are there other features (like auto-rewinding) that improve your user experience?
- Universality: Can the holder accommodate many spool sizes?
- Moisture protection: Does the holder protect your filament against degradation from moisture? For some materials, like nylon, this is a near must to print properly.
With that in mind, let’s dive in!
Polybox Edition II
Most of the options on our list are spool holders that you can print yourself, but if you just want to buy something, we’ve got an option for you, too!
The Polybox Edition II is a commercially-available spool holder dedicated to tackling the problem of moisture-loving filament. It has large bottom trays for desiccant packs, tucked neatly out of the way, and rubber seals around the feed holes to keep moisture out. The built-in sensor at the front helps you keep an eye on the internal temperature and humidity.
You’ll be able to fit up to two 1-kg spools or one 3-kg spool. The spools ride on rollers with feed holes all around the enclosure for better universality.
Universal Standalone
This is an entirely 3D printed spool holder that can accommodate almost any size filament spool, from 16 to 62 mm in shaft diameter. If that’s not universal enough, it will take spool-less filament coils, too.
The main spindle of the holder rotates on its own rollers for smooth unspooling. The holder also has a filament guide (pictured above) to guide both 1.75 and 2.85 mm filament, with a built-in pocket for a cleaning sponge.
Perhaps best of all, you don’t need any extra hardware: no bearings, glue, or fasteners. Makers have commented that if you’re having any trouble with the assembly, a bit of oil will do the trick.
- Who designed it? CreativeTools
- How printable/popular is it? This model has been downloaded over 120,000 times on Thingiverse alone and has 53 remixes for whatever kind of spool you can dream of! The designer recommends printing the spool holder at a 0.2-mm layer height with 10% infill. It’s estimated to use 92 grams of filament and takes about 9 hours to print.
- Where to find it? Instructables, Thingiverse, Cults, YouMagine, MyMiniFactory
Universal Auto-Rewind
The Universal Auto-Rewind is a spool holder that spools up extra filament for you – handy if you’re changing filaments often. That way, you’re not left with a tangle of material when you unload! It’s one of many popular auto-rewinding designs by Vincent Groenhuis.
This universal spool holder features a unique 3D printed spring that does the rewinding work for you. The slipping of the clutch can be adjusted based on your needs. There’s also a filament guide available, should you want one. You can see a full guide to the spool holder’s use and assembly in the dedicated YouTube video.
- Who designed it? Vincent Groenhuis
- How printable/popular is it? This model has been downloaded over 190,000 times at Thingiverse alone and has 64 Remixes for printer-specific parts and mods! The designer printed the parts in PLA at a 0.2-mm layer height. The single-color version is estimated to take 47 hours and 460 grams of material to complete, while the dual-color version takes 90 hours and 780 grams.
- Where to find it? PrusaPrinters (single-color and dual-color), Thingiverse
SpannerHands System
The tried-and-true SpannerHands spool system is another entry featuring moisture protection. Despite the release of newer SpannerHands models, this one offers the best in terms of ease of use.
Filament is kept clean and dry thanks to a dust cover enclosure and a pocket holding a sachet of desiccant. Everything is sealed with an easily accessible latch upfront for quick filament changes. There’s an optional spot for adding a humidity sensor to monitor your filament. You even have the option of wall-mounting the spool holder (pictured above) to get it off your desk.
Unfortunately, the SpannerHands is only designed for 750-g spools of Fillamentum. It’s a common size, but not quite as universal as we’d like.
- Who designed it? 3DMasterRace
- How printable/popular is it? This model has been downloaded over 150,000 times from Thingiverse, with Remixes including bearingless and auto-rewind versions. The designer recommends printing with a layer height of 0.2 to 0.4 mm and 20% infill. The designer also recommends using flexible and semi-flexible filaments for printing the airtight seals.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Filler
The Filler is a unique spool holder that stands out for its ease of mounting. It features bearings for smooth unspooling and a host of premade attachments to accommodate a wide range of printers. There are even standalone and wall-mounted options for maximal flexibility.
If your filament doesn’t fit well on this holder, fret not. You can also use two Fillers side-by-side as rollers beneath your spool.
- Who designed it? HugoHuge
- How printable/popular is it? This model has been downloaded over 250,000 times from Thingiverse. Despite the impressive number of mounting options already available, 227 Remixes will get you additional flexibility. The designer recommends printing the brace with 3 shells and 40-50% infill. The roller portion should use 4 shells and 0% infill.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Prusa Drybox
This model is similar to the SpannerHands design, but it does better in terms of universality. Spools run on rollers at the bottom of the spool holder, so many sizes will fit.
Like the SpannerHands, you’ll get an easily-accessible latch, an optional humidity sensor, a tray for desiccant, and optional wall-mounting. An added bonus is that it will work with Prusa’s MMU2S Printer Enclosure V2.
- Who designed it? Prusa Research
- How printable/popular is it? Both versions of this model have been downloaded over 5,000 times, mainly for Prusa machines. Depending on the version you choose, printing will take an estimated 31 to 35 hours and 400 to 450 grams of material. Prusa Research recommends PLA plastic for this spool holder.
- Where to find it? Prusa Research: with sensor and without
TUSH
Named “The Ultimate Spool Holder”, this design accommodates spools of all sizes. Its four parts snap together without needing fasteners and hold four 608 bearings. Simply line up the rollers with the edge of your spool, and you’re good to go! The design makes for a slim setup and easy spool swaps.
In some cases, filament may roll off the spool when nearing its end. However, placing the spool above the printer can solve this problem.
- Who designed it? filamentry
- How printable/popular is it? This model has been downloaded almost an impressive 400,000 times at Thingiverse, with over 250 Remixes to more precisely fit various printers. The designer recommends printing the parts with 20% infill and 0.2-mm layers.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Simple Universal
Like the TUSH, the Universal Spool Holder makes use of rollers beneath the spools. This design is slim, accommodates many spool sizes, and makes swapping filament very easy.
Unlike the TUSH, you’ll need some extra hardware like screws to get this spool holder up and running. Its single-body design, however, means that you won’t have to worry about finicky alignment with your spool’s edges.
- Who designed it? in_the_garage
- How printable/popular is it? The Universal Spool Holder has fewer downloads than some of the big hitters on this list, totaling just over 2,000 across both YouMagine and Thingiverse. There are helpful images to guide the assembly process, but no explicit printing instructions.
- Where to find it? YouMagine, Thingiverse
Prusa Auto-Rewind
This spool holder uses gravity to ensure the filament is wound and there isn’t too much slack. The design incorporates a plethora of different 3D printable components with a rack-and-pinion-like mechanism to ensure that the spool moves up and down the structure as the filament is drawn. Although it’s designed for Prusa’s multi-material upgrade (MMU2S), this spool holder should work on all setups.
The designer listed a few of the print settings they used to produce this spool holder, including a 0.2-mm layer height for printing the parts in PET filament. The maker also noted that the parts consumed about 355 grams of filament and took just over 24 hours to finish.
- Who designed it? Michal Fanta
- How printable/popular is it? This auto-rewinding spool holder has 16 recorded makes, 28 remixes, and over 34,000 views! Given this project’s popularity, you should be able to make one.
- Where to find it? PrusaPrinters
Mega Anti-Tangle
The spool’s own weight clamps it onto the holder at four points, holding the spool securely. That way, coils of filament are less likely to jump off of the side of the spool, minimizing messes and tangles.
It’s been tested for spools from 145 to 210 mm in diameter, and up to a maximum width of 94 mm. The outer limit of the diameter isn’t yet certain and may be greater.
- Who designed it? graham01
- How printable/popular is it? This model has been downloaded over 73,000 times from Thingiverse. The designer recommends printing the parts with 0.2-mm layers. Some users have noted that the parts don’t fit together very tightly, so a little super glue might come in handy.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Simple & Smart
This clever spool holder is a compact, two-part assembly that requires no hardware or fasteners. Simply print both parts and put them together!
The spool size is more limited, however, so your mileage may vary. Swapping out the top piece will allow you to fit more spool sizes, and several users have customized the file.
- Who designed it? Dagoma3D
- How printable/popular is it? This model has been downloaded over 30,000 times from Thingiverse. Users have commented that a drop of oil will aid spinning, but official instructions are lacking. Several Remixes are also available for more sizes.
- Where to find it? MyMiniFactory, Thingiverse
Hanging
Next, this design is a hanging spool holder, meant to attach to a circular rod and hold a filament spool below. The spool holder comprises two arms and two hooks, which should snap together once printed. To keep the filament strand from unraveling, the arm bar piece has two holes, which you can feed filament through to tie off the strand.
As seen above, the designer has successfully made a fair amount of these spool holders and has provided a few of the settings used, including a 0.2-mm layer height, 15% infill density, and no supports nor rafts.
- Who designed it? 3DStartups
- How printable/popular is it? This hanging spool holder has 10 recorded Makes, 7 Remixes, and over 30,800 downloads! So many people have printed this spool holder; you can too!
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Source: The Best 3D Printer Filament Spool Holders of 2022 | All3DP