tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639215628525378898.post7594898887429718974..comments2023-09-20T15:32:40.483+01:00Comments on Reprap development and further adventures in DIY 3D printing: Universal 3D printing filament spool standard 2014RichRap3Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09348596756294999378noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639215628525378898.post-50617487206140249372014-03-14T12:28:44.271+00:002014-03-14T12:28:44.271+00:00I make my own spools now - I use a 2" PVC pip...I make my own spools now - I use a 2" PVC pipe connector, and print 2 nearly 8" diameter ends to glue onto the 2" pipe connector which is pretty darn standard. The ends have 1" holes in them which turn well and smoothly on a 3/4" PVC or metal pipe. I drill one small hole in the PVC for starting the filament wind. Works really well. Right now I glue both ends but I'm thinking about a removable end (2 or 3 bolts) to accommodate loose spools.<br /><br />I do NOT recommend using cardboard sides unless they are treated with an epoxy or something to make them rigid. When exposed to heat, cardboard sides often spread, and the filament falls down into the gap and jams. After 5 or 6 repeated jams on different spools, I now respool onto my spools before printing.<br /><br />@raster, I'm thinking along the same lines. A microswitch on the filament feed path so when there's no filament, it causes the printer to pause (and probably retract and lift as well) until you can reload it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07080105235830515367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639215628525378898.post-71247741896042193272014-03-14T12:06:31.359+00:002014-03-14T12:06:31.359+00:00Good to see you working on this rich. i had to sto...Good to see you working on this rich. i had to stop using bagged filament after loosing it while coiling 100M it onto a spool. I even made a spool holder https://github.com/Enlightx/Make-a-spool which would work with cardboard, plastic etc. Other thing to mention on the industry standard spool. i think colorfabb making there spools now clear is a great help also from a selling point you will order before you run out which will only help filament suppliers with sales.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17869787371161190362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639215628525378898.post-32660451396674814612014-03-13T20:35:29.640+00:002014-03-13T20:35:29.640+00:00Glad to see someone is working on this cause it is...Glad to see someone is working on this cause it is something that has been annoying me for a while. <br />I recently Picked up a few empty spools for mig welding wire from work and intent on spooling my faberdashery filament onto them as the coil diameter is quite big. But it is time consuming and stressful winding filament onto spools, Up to now I have often just been risking using them as loose coils which often ends up in tears! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02877855047348766302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639215628525378898.post-60738830579127922792014-03-13T16:53:20.404+00:002014-03-13T16:53:20.404+00:00Not to divert from the spool discussion, but are t...Not to divert from the spool discussion, but are there existing solutions/hacks/etc to detect when filament stops feeding into the extruder? Having something in place to determine if the filament is "stuck" and can alert you or stop a print might be quite useful, and prevent the falling of shelves/spools/etc onto your printer.rasterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01475600280560461797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639215628525378898.post-33726005438824431132014-03-13T14:27:30.885+00:002014-03-13T14:27:30.885+00:00This is a great idea Rich! Only last night I was t...This is a great idea Rich! Only last night I was trying to untangle at 750g roll of 1.75mm PLA after it tied a knot around itself! It would be great to be able to purchase filament and simply locate it on the printer, feed it into the extruder and away you go. <br /><br />I’ve been using a company for a couple of years who supply the material in loose coils; in general I have no problems as I’ve made myself an adjustable spool which caters for the variation in loose coil inner diameter. I’ve noticed that some loose coils are zip tied together to hold its shape – I find these ones tend to tangle much less than the non zip tied coils. Either way this isn’t a great solution because I can never quite trust that the filament will tangle itself during an unattended print. Nothing worse than coming back to a 10 hour long print only to find its been skywriting for 9.5 hours!!<br /><br />I think the concept of a cardboard spool is a great idea and I was given the choice to spend a little more money I would buy a spooled coil over a loose coil every time.<br /><br />Also on a slightly different note, reding your blog I agree that filament suppliers seem to be offering less per coil. For someone like me who only prints in one colour at a time I find it quite tiresome as the coils (especially 1.75mm) do not last long enough. Minor quibble though!<br /><br />Thanks for getting the ball rolling Rich. I’ll watch the progress with a keen interest and I’ll do what I can to help along the way.<br />Strellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11559192580129398483noreply@blogger.com