Summary

I have a bunch of rolls of blue painters tape that never seems to tear off with a clean edge. I wanted to fix that. I probably should have started by searching for an existing 3D model, but I wanted to do it on my own. Here's what I came up with. I've uploaded some .stl files for some widths I needed.

I designed it to be a minimal fast and easy print (no supports) because I was in the middle of another project when I realize I could use this.

Since the main variable with this thing is the roll width, I've included a few design files for your convenience in case you need something else.

If you have Fusion 360, I've included the .f3d file. Download, open and go to "MODIFY/Change Parameters" and set RollWidth to whatever you need. I've also included .step files but I'm not sure if the user parameters exported properly. You can also modify RollDiameter if you want, but 110mm seemed like a good size for the rolls I had on hand.

As an alternative I also created a short OpenSCAD script for you to try. Download and open the script and change the argument for TapeDispenser() to whatever you need. This approach relies on the two additional files: TapeDispenserSide.stl and TapeDispenserXSection.svg. Make sure all these files are in the same directory as the .scad file. You may need to use a development build of OpenSCAD so the arcs in the .svg file are handled properly. Sorry about that - time permitting I'll modify it so that profile is generated by the script. I probably won't do anything about TapeDispenserSide.stl though because it uses chamfers and fillets which I have a hard time dealing with in OpenSCAD. I also included a screen grab of the profile cross section in case you're interested in how I designed it.

I wanted a smooth cut so mine does NOT have any teeth. It seems to work fine for the paper and foil tapes I have so I've left that as an exercise for the student. Take whichever of the design files you can work with, add some sort of zig-zag to the bottom plane and cut out some teeth. Alternately, you could add a slot to the side and slide in a piece of the cutter from a roll of household plastic wrap.

Enjoy, and thanks for reading my blog post!
Bob M