filament loading
if i have a roll of filament, spool 1, for example. it is running out. print job is going. is it possible to load the NEXT roll of filament, immediately as the tail of the prior roll disappears into the feeder, and will it keep feeding corrrectly, OR will it detect that that prior roll ran out, and force me to wait until it uses up that last bit of filament, even though i’ve loaded a new roll of filament to immediately follow that end of the strand? I don’t want to get something stuck in the feed lines, etc, but i’d like to be able to just quickly add the new roll, when i know another roll is running uot
If i’m around for the end of the spool, which is 99% of time, I clip the filament ahead of running out. Then let it use up whats in the tubes to the extruder. In the mean time, i load up the new spool except inserting the new filament into feeder. When it runs out i wait for the promps on the touch screen to get it back to printing.
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It doesn’t stop printing until the tail of the last spool makes it to the extruder head. It does detect the end of the last roll though. The LED at the AMS feeder turns red when it sees the tail go through.
You can put a new spool in the AMS as soon as the tail disappears (plus maybe an inch or so) and feed its filament into the AMS feed mechanism. When the tail of the last roll gets to the extruder, the printer parks the head, purges, feeds the new filament, and resumes printing.
I also try to be present though. I prefer to snip the bent end of the filament running out while making sure it’s not a spool where the tail is held with tape. But I’ve also missed it and just swap in a new spool and it picks back up.
It works amazingly well.
i currently do what both of you do. i snip the end, etc, and wait. BUT, i was curious if i could immediately feed in the filament, because actually that red light does not come on until a little bit AFTER that tail end has gone into the feeder. but again, i don’t want to jam up the machine and screw up its brains !
Yeah, the tail has to move past the filament detection for it to realize a spool is empty. And that’s when you can put the new spool in the AMS and inset the new filament into the feeder mechanism.
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If you are using the AMS, it can be set to pick up the next spool automatically.
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With the AMS you can do that but it needs to be the exact same brand, the ecact same material AND the same color and you need to check the option (if I’m correct the option is off by default).
Nice to know ! Never tried that with the next spool. Cheers @MZip!
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I haven’t done the next spool thing. That was @RLGL. All I’ve done is replace spools when they run out mid-print. I’m around so don’t need the set & forget functionality and I can keep more colors at the ready.
It looks like you are talking about the auto-refill option available to anyone with an AMS. If you are, this still needs to purge the existing spool.
The OP is trying to work out a specific case with the auto-refill function, do you have to wait for the auto-purge or can you “pretend” the manually replaced filament is still part of the original filament by standing over the printer and chasing the old filament with the new. Make sure not to lose tension as it goes.
I believe you are talking about the very same thing,
One caveat for you though - the checks on filament type do not occur during the print process, thus, you should be able to swap one spool out for another without the process failing. The auto-purge will continue, and the new spool will be pulled in.
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Sorry i wasnt more clear in making my point. It’s the fact that you followed the next spool with filament before it ran out at the extruder. I have always waited till the printer asked for new filament in the feeder.
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I think I’m not talking about the same thing. The thing I mean is that it automatically takes another roll with the exact same filament in another slot of the AMS. I know it’s not always working right and there are made some changes in firmware but for me it worked once .
to all,
thanks for replies
re: having 2nd spool in another bay - that is not what i’m looking for. i have all 4 bays set up for this project, multi-color
what i want to do is, the minute bay 1 takes in the tail end of the filament, is to INSERT the NEW roll immediatly into the feeder, and hopefully keep the machine from thinking hte filament is out. this ay, it would avoid delays, and avoid me having to stand there 
but, if i coan’t do it, i can live with it, but it is an interesting setting they could incorporate?
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That doesn’t happen. The printer sees the end of one spool and the beginning of the new one and parks the extruder to purge in between.
The only way I know of to get one spool to follow another without purge or pause would be to pause before the tail of the emptying spool disappears into the AMS mechanism and splice the new spool to it, and then unpause. But it will still require a pause.
Maybe there is a way to fool the filament sensors by pushing the new filament where there isn’t a gap between the two filament ends, but I don’t know if that is possible. Maybe? But having the AMS open while pushing filament manually during a print will also waste desiccant, etc.
thanks ! I don’t need t screw up the machine, and goof up its brains. I’ll just wait, i guess. but, again, would be intresting adjustment by bambu…
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Have you found a way to not need to be there to do it manually?
Was there any follow up on this?
no other feedback on it…no other feedback on this (typed in duplicate because the bots on the forum can’t understand that the answer c an be in under 25 characters…
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No i have not found another way. 
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