Cricut Roll Holder
Roll Holder Parts
The Cricut Roll Holder was an accessory that I was the only design engineer. The roll holder allows users to easily manage large rolls of material for longer cuts. It incorporated a unique waterfall media path that allowed users projects to be ejected out of the machine after using the integrated cutter.
Full Assembly
The roll holder consisted of 12 different parts. The assembly included a manual cut off tool which allowed user to cut a clean edge across the material after their cut job was complete.
Full Assembly Bottom View
The bottom of the roll holder consisted of a blade access door to enable users to easily change a replaceable blade. Silicone feet were used to help prevent the roll holder from slipping during operation. There were also two slots which had small press features to help secure it to the Maker and Explore machines.
Roll Holder Top Case
The top case was a large flat plastic piece that had snap features 13 snap feature around the edge in order to maintain gap control. While it required a lot of lifter in the tooling, the ID team was very happy with the results.
Top Case Rib features
The top case part incorporated small rib features which we located in the noncut-able area. These ribs helped control material flow through the roll holder and prevent that material from getting scratched. A small detent feature was also added to help hold the blade to the side and prevent it from blocking material.
Middle Case Part
The middle case part required a complicated shape in order for many different types of materials to properly flow through it. It also had a small rail feature which help retain and control the position of the blade access door.
Bottom Case Part
The bottom case was a large plastic part that helped to fully enclose the other other roller holder parts and provide a seamless look with no visible hardware. It also has to large recesses which housed rollers to allow for rolls of material to roll smoothly.
Bottom Case Recess
The rib structure of the bottom case part enable four POM rollers to be installed on 304 Stainless steel pins. This provided a smooth un-rolling of material. The inner and outer draft of the POM roller where opposite so that they operate flat and not cause material drift.
Blade Access Door
The blade access door consisted of two parts that were held together by a press fit. The top part of the blade access door had two flexible arms that made it easy for the user to install and remove the door, but keep it retained.
Handle and Blade Holder
The handle and blade holder housed a blade made out of 420 Steel. The top part of the handle was originally flat which caused a large flow mark at the gate location. I worked with the ID team in order to add curvature to the top of the surface to enable better plastic flow.