Parametric Stripe Feeder for Paper and Plastic Tapes

• parametric design fully adaptable to your needs
• width of one feeder is tapeWidth + 3mm, eg. for 8mm tapes the feeder will be 11mm
• two 180mm long, ganged feeders print in about 2 hours
• gang multiple feeder in one element
• fully 3d printable, optimized design for best print results
• keeps tape in position by slight force causing friction
• just insert tapes from above and click them in
• no vitamins needed
• prepared to be mounted to bed by 6mmx3mm magnets or M3 screw
• try in Thingiverse Customizer
• provided as is, no warranties

Would recommend to print a small non ganged feeder first to find out whether the design is working for you and your printer. Download one of the offered STL-files and get it on the printer. Insert plastic and/or paper tapes and see whether the tapes are hold in place and which height of feeder you actually need.

To get some feeders matching your demands perfectly there are two alternatives to go: Load OpenSCAD and open the sFeeder.scad file to create your custom designs or use the Thingiverse Customizer (makerbot account needed) to do so. If your familiar with scripting or CAD going for OpenSCAD is best choice and gives you all possibilities. Some relevant parameters you might want to modify depicts the image.

• print in 0.2 or 0.3mm layer thickness
• set top fill pattern rectilinear to ensure the cleanest possible surface below the tape for reliable machine vision
• nozzle size up to 0.5mm
• make from PETG or ABS+/smartABS/easyABS, PLA was not tested
• print in a color contrasting white and black tapes, eg. red or blue

The feeder base has 3 holes per lane for mounting. The default design is made to be mounted with 6mmx3mm round magnets to a ferrous table or M3 screws.

Get latest version of parametric model and STLs at github