Hook stand for 3D printers

Summary

I designed a practical accessory for use with the Flashforge Finder 3D printer.  Unlike most 3D printers, which have an external hook stand, this particular printer requires its filament roll to be placed within an internal compartment.  However, this compartment's dimensions limit you to only Flashforge's filament rolls, as they fit the compartment quite well, whereas most standard-size rolls do not fit at all.

I designed a free-standing stand with which all common filament rolls can be used.  The stand is too tall to be printed on a Flashforge Finder as a single piece.  Therefore I split the stand into smaller pieces and designed snap connectors for joining them, as shown in the image below.  I performed static stress analysis in Fusion 360 to ensure that the stand would not collapse under the load of a heavy filament roll.

I produced this part for personal use and subsequently released it on Thingiverse for free and open public use.

Skills gained

While completing this project, I learned how to design snap connectors for easy 3D printing.  I also learned how to perform static stress simulations in Fusion 360, having previously performed them in ANSYS.