Flashforge Adventurer 5M (AD5M) IMPROVED, SIDE-MOUNT Spool Holder, Inlet, Runout Sensor Mount! v3.1

FAQ

- Q: I printed your enclosure and I can’t figure out how to install the filament sensor / spool holder. I’ve looked on YouTube for installation videos and still stuck. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

- A: Not long after the initial release of the Adventurer 5M, the manufacturer, Flashforge, switched from shipping the original bidirectional sensor to a unidirectional sensor, for which my remixes fully support both options. The switch to the unidirectional sensor meant that the sensor's input "jack" or "socket" for the wire, is now positioned closer to the bed (not closer to the back of the printer as before). There is enough excess wire that can be "fished" up out of the inside of the frame, and there is a pathway in my remixed design to get that excess wire to cover the distance to where it needs plugged in. It's like a groove.

Note that the printed part that has the sensor mounted to it, as shown in my remixes, has a special addition: a protrusion toward the side, with a screw hole in it. The backside (inner side) of that screw hole has a nut capture slot (M3). There were already some other M3 nut capture slots in that printed part, and this is an added one, just for my side-mounted spool holder designs. After I insert the nuts, I use a drop or two of CA glue to make sure they don't fall out. The side-mounted spool holder formerly would attach with only one screw; a replacement for the short M4 screw that holds the top of the rear, side, guard plate. My side-mounted spool holders all require that stock M4 screw to be replaced by a slightly longer one. But using only one screw was less than ideal. So I modified the sensor mount and my side-mounted spool holder remixes to have their own matching protrusions toward each other. It's made for an M3 screw into the captured M3 nut. That allows a second screw for securing them much better.

Note: This is all designed intentionally to be compatible with the enclosure kit sold by Flashforge, and the contents of their kit comprise the entire BOM for this project, except for the extra M3 nut and M3 screw, and the slightly longer M4 screw. Here's an affiliate link to the kit on Amazon, sold by the official Flashforge vendor listing: https://amzn.to/4ijsmRb — You can also order the enclosure from Aliexpress, probably cheaper, with slower delivery. Here's a link to Flashforge's wiki about their OG enclosure, upon which this is based, only this one has improvements saving time & plastic and having better features: https://wiki.flashforge.com/en/knowledge_corner/printer-mod-and-diy

And here is Flashforge's video on how to install the DIY enclosure. It helps a lot with understanding that can be applied to my remixes:

Compatible with both the original DIY enclosure , and my remixed Minimal Enclosure , see note on this below.

CHANGE LOG:

- January 27, 2026 - added STEP and Fusion files for the main part, based on a crude import of the SketchUp file into Fusion, and converting to a solid body using the Convert Mesh feature. Also added a SketchUp file for the main part as well.

- February 19, 2025 - v3.1 - revised for additional clearance between the spool holder and the plexiglas window, so that the side window can be removed if needed, without having to remove the spool holder. Confirmed to have succeeded in that. Side window can indeed be removed and reinstalled, without removing the spool holder.

- February 15, 2025 - v3.0 - initial upload

This is a “low slung edition” of side-mounted spool holder for AD5M as envisioned by @vbence121_283108, with an added benefit: this one prints with no supports needed.

The only part changed here is the spool holder. The other items included are identical to the v2.1.1 parts from this listing: https://www.printables.com/model/1127781-4-of-4-flashforge-adventurer-5m-ad5m-improved-side/edit

@vbence121_283108's cool idea is shown here:

…However, his version required a lot of supports to print, as shown here:

My remix of his remix, now makes it doable to print with no supports, and this freedom from supports is an advantage over both his execution of the concept and my previous remixes of the side-mounted spool holder. My previous remixes did not require a large amount of supports, but some. This remix can print well with literally no supports needed.

NOTE: this great, new, low-slung, side-mounted spool holder works with both the original DIY enclosure, and my remixed Minimal Enclosure , as shown below. For use with the original DIY enclosure, please use the printed sensor mount provided in this listing. For use with my remixed Minimal Enclosure, please use the printed sensor mount from the Minimal Enclosure listing.

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The following additional info is copied and pasted from the original source remix, “ (4 of 4) Flashforge Adventurer 5M (AD5M) IMPROVED, SIDE-MOUNT Spool Holder, Inlet, Runout Sensor Mount! v2.1.1 ” — so this new “Low Slung Edition” (THIS LISTING) makes a 5th option beyond the four treatments mentioned below.

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This is regarding the DIY enclosure upgrade .

In addition to the various improvements (see below) I'm offering some cosmetic treatments of the spool holder, three of which are new:

- OG (original) - CLICK HERE

- Circles - CLICK HERE

- Hexagons - CLICK HERE

- Solid - CLICK HERE

IMPROVEMENTS

- This revision improves on my popular earlier remix, now mounting the side-mounted spool holder with two screws instead of one, for added rigidity and easier use.

- This new spool holder can take spools that are up to 10mm wider, to support Amazon Basics brand of spools, as per dialog with a maker using that brand.

- Plus, the print orientation of the “Inlet, Runout Sensor Mount” part (now printing at a 45-degree angle) not only makes the new design possible, but also gives the best resistance against any failure of splitting due to the "layer-line adhesion" issue inherent in all FDM 3D printing.

- The “Inlet, Runout Sensor Mount” part now has a wingtip extending a screw hole so the side mounted spool holder gains a second screw for mounting. Technically speaking, this added second screw mount could have been achieved by remixing a guard plate on the DIY enclosure design, but that's a not-good-idea for a variety of reasons. The 4 guard plates are printed vertically in two tall sets of 4 each, and the vertical printing of them is made more doable by them being grouped and supporting each other. In this, only one guard plate would need revised, meaning a challenging vertical print of only 1 out of 8, with the added possibility that the print might take place in a different setting and with a different filament or different filament batch, thus no longer matching the other 7 in color or finish … and generally I dislike for something new to not be backward compatible with an existing larger setting. So…

DO I NEED IT?

If you're getting good service from your v1.0 or v1.1 release of the side-mounted spool holder, there is no need to do this upgrade yet. However, if it should become troublesome in the future, you could do this upgrade to replace it. If you've not yet done the side-mounted spool holder – then by all means, do this improved version of it.

HEADSUP - NEW MINIMAL ENCLOSURE!

I remixed a new minimal version of the DIY enclosure , that prints in less time, uses less plastic, and in my opinion is better in substantial ways. I now have three of the AD5M printers, and two have the original DIY enclosure, whereas the third has my new remix of the minimal enclosure, and it’s just nice. It makes any maintenance work easier because the top is so much easier to remove (no wiring ribbon cable threaded through a slit to a relocated touchscreen, and no camera cable threaded through a hole to a relocated touchscreen). It’s better because if you have/get the AD5M camera (which is for the Pro version but can be bought and installed on the non-pro version - and its video feed can be displayed remotely in either of the web-based UI choices available if you do the unofficial Klipper mod ) it does not need to have a modified mount to get its wire cable to be long enough to reach a higher position of a relocated touchscreen, and better because the touch screen does not have to be moved – it gets to stay in the stock position, which is nicer in all ways. My new remix of the minimal enclosure made several improvements on the great work from the person whose work I based mine on, and it will have the new side mounted spool holder with it. Click here to get it: https://www.printables.com/model/1130485-flashforge-adventurer-5m-ad5m-minimal-diy-enclosur

BOM

- Three (3) M3 nuts - one of these is in addition to the DIY enclosure kit.

- One (1) machine screw, M3 x 8mm - new in addition to the DIY enclosure kit.

- One (1) machine screw, M4 x 10 mm - new in addition to the DIY enclosure kit.

- Four (4) machine screws, either M3 x 5mm or M3 x 6mm . These would have either already been on hand from your existing machine and/or already were called for in your DIY enclosure kit or its BOM.