Ender 3 V3 SE/KE Side Spool Filament Guide

Why mount the spool on the side instead of on top?

The Ender 3 V3 SE/KE ships with a top-mounted spool holder by default, but a 1kg spool sitting on top of the gantry adds significant weight directly above the X-axis motion system. This extra mass increases inertia during fast direction changes, which can contribute to ringing/ghosting on prints and added strain on the top frame over time. Moving the spool to the side of the printer keeps the weight off the moving gantry entirely, resulting in smoother motion and reduced mechanical stress, especially noticeable on longer, faster prints.

The problem with existing side-spool guides

After switching to a side-mounted spool, I looked for a filament guide to route the filament cleanly to the extruder, but every existing solution I found had at least one drawback:

- Most require buying a separate PTFE tube to reduce friction as the filament travels to the extruder

- Guides that don't require the PTFE tube often cause noticeable "pressure loss", the extra friction on the filament negatively affects extrusion consistency and print quality

- Several designs require mounting through 2 of the 3 frame screws, which I wanted to avoid, using only 1 screw keeps the other 2 fully dedicated to frame rigidity

This design solves all three problems.

What makes this guide different

- Uses the printer's stock hardware : no extra screws needed beyond what's already provided

- Fully functional print-in-place ball bearing for smooth, low-friction filament feed, no PTFE tube required

- Mounts on a single frame screw, keeping the other two screws dedicated to structural rigidity

- Built-in retention feature prevents the filament from derailing off the bearing during printing

- Organic-style arm design for both strength and a clean aesthetic

Post-print improvement (optional)

Adding a small amount of lithium grease to the ball bearing further improves smoothness, though the bearing spins freely and works well even without it.

Material recommendation

I first printed this in PETG, which I do NOT recommend, especially for the bearing component, which didn't perform well. I switched to PLA+ (Eryone brand) for the final version, which printed cleanly and gives a fully functional, smooth-spinning bearing with zero binding.

Credits & Inspiration

This design builds on the mounting concept from AleMaker 3D – Ender 3 V3 SE and KE Side Spool Mounting .

Side spool holder used (not included in this upload — no modifications made)

I'm using the side spool holder by Lolcio – Ender 3 V3 SE/KE Side Spool Holder (Less Gantry Wobble) . I haven't modified this file, so I'm linking directly to the original rather than reuploading it.

My Print Settings (BEARING)

Printer: Creality Ender 3 V3 SE (0.4mm nozzle) Filament: PLA+ (Eryone) Slicer: Orca Slicer

Temperature

- Nozzle (first layer): 210°C

- Nozzle (other layers): 215°C

- Bed: 60°C

Filament / Flow

- Flow ratio: 1.03

- Retraction length: 1.2mm

- Max volumetric speed: 18 mm³/s

Layer & Walls

- Layer height: 0.15mm

- First layer height: 0.2mm

- Wall loops: 3

- Wall generator: Arachne

Shells / Infill

- Top shell layers: 5

- Bottom shell layers: 5