My local dollar store’s cheap electrical tape works well for me
you can just glue something heavy inside the spool, problem solved 
there are more weird things when it comes to compatibility - for example why does Bambu supply PA-CF filament with RFID, when you’re not supposed to use it in the AMS
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I wouldn’t glue it inside. That would throw the balance off and when rewinding at a high speed, might cause other issues.
Bambu says that their PA-CF (which they have replaced with a PAHT-CF) is formulated to work in the AMS - don’t ask me how.
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This is not a car, I wouldn’t worry about balancing it but sure, you can glue two heavy things on opposite sides.
One of the things I noticed immediately about the reusable spools I’ve printed off is the amount of filament they use to be printed
I’m 100% ok with that because I’ve got more than enough material to print with (I need more storage space actually) but I’ll bet the reason why personally I have had zero issues when I get to the end of my roll is because of the weight
Also noticeable is the actual width of the sides, quite a bit thicker than the other vendors spools I use that are already plastic
Still though regardless of if it’s a spool from say Geeetech or one of the spools I’ve transfered over my AMS has not had any issues with the spool lifting or not retracting properly
Maybe my unit was built on a Tuesday when everybody was on their ‘A’ game 
That’s not to say I have not had a few failed prints or artifacts in my prints but 99% of those issues is 100% on me lol
In my opinion the reusable spools that you can print yourself is still the best and safest options when it comes to cardboard spools like Polymaker or Overture which by the way are 2 of my favorite filaments brands to use, they just come on cardboard spools which I don’t want to risk using and potentially having issues with or contaminating my AMS or even contaminating the bowden tubes with cardboard dust
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Since this popped back up to the top, I looked at a lot of the edge cover designs and opted for this one (for Polymaker, and others):
It’s here:
https://www.printables.com/model/297018-cardboard-spool-rim-with-minimal-sides
Why I chose it -
- It’s much more minimal than a lot of other designs
- Prints in 14 mins & costs a huge $0.11 USD
- It’s keyed, so no slipping
- Fit my Polymaker reels perfectly 1st try
- He posted 7 versions so you can try which you prefer
- Is very low profile so it doesn’t have a “hits the AMS cover” problem
What’s not to like? 
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I’m not a fan of plastic spools, given how much filament I get through, so the AMS not being “cardboard friendly” was a drawback for me.
FWLIW (and so far I’ve only printed a couple of kilos of Overture PLA, but I’ve only had the machine a eek) I’ve been using Overture almost exclusively, on the cardboard reels it arrives on. And I’ve not been fussy about the state of those spools. But (touch wood) so far no problems at all. I have printed a few Overture-specific rims, but generally haven’t used them!
While I started printing replacement spools for every Overture spool, I’ve since backed way off. If a spool is damaged to the point it binds in the AMS, it gets replaced. Otherwise I just use it as is. I’ve gone through at least 10 spools this way and have 525 hours of print time with only 2 or 3 Overture spools causing issues. Some spools are corrugated cardboard rather than the fiber board that Overture uses. Maybe those are a bigger problem?
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Yep. I’m just gonna yolo it for now. I’m about 4 cardboard spools in and no issues yet.
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no thanks. electrical tape(especially the cheap stuff) can be a bigger issue than the cardboard. it can turn into a gooey mess.
Ok, I am using the tape on the polymaker spools since quite a while already and have no problem at all. As you said, don’t buy the cheap stuff.
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I glue the rings on otherwise they just slip or fall off. A little glue helps them stay in place. I don’t worry about reusing the rings, it’s just way to much trouble for what it’s worth.
I have experienced the same thing with the printed rings. I flip the lock tabs on the AMS to make sure the cover doesn’t close all the way but cover cannot seal which is not optimal. Thin tape on the edges is probably better to avoid having to use spacers.
I’m running a bead of thin Cyanoacrylate glue around the edge of the Inland spools, which aren’t quite cardboard by also aren’t quite wood. Like a compressed fiber-board material made from shredded paper instead of wood chips. But anyway, it’s a trick I learned building model airplanes, if I needed a piece of balsa to be a bit stronger - douse it in CA, which soaks in to the fibers and then cures leaving a very hard surface. When used in a model airplane build, CA soaked balsa doesn’t sand very easily, so I think it’ll stand up to the rubber rollers in the AMS fine. Time will tell.
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Hey guys !
The Polymaker team has designed an adapter to use the cardboard spool dust-free and more reliable!
It is free and can be downloaded from Polymaker’s Thingiverse account: “Polymaker Cardboard Spool Adapter”
Watch the video on Youtube’s Polymaker channel → “Polymaker adapter cardboard spool”
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I designed this model to rewind some Polyterra that got bent up by Amazon fulfillment onto plastic spools:
https://www.printables.com/model/466883-pastamatic-filament-spool-winder-for-bambu-lab-x1c
Printable rims or electrical tape are fine if the spool rims aren’t bent
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Here’s the holder I use to increase the weight. Works on my Poylite and other spools. Even plastic spools can cause problems (although rare).
https://www.printables.com/model/402087-adjustable-spool-holder-for-silica-gel-spool-weigh
I half fill it with (no rust) BBs.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00419HNBU?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
I also put a PETG ring around the cardboard cores. FYI - I use a random seam postion, it adds a little grip to the ring. I used 199.5mm OD for Polylite PETG spools.
https://www.printables.com/model/278078-cardboard-spool-rim-only
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