Is it possible to swap between different filaments on the same reusable spool? It seems like most people are putting refills on empty spools but why not swap between color A and color B on the same spool? If a spool is refilled then do you have to use it on that spool until it’s used up?
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That is a bit confusing without providing an example.
I think you are asking if you can remove a refill spool from a reusable spool in order to place a different refill on the reusable spool.
As in.
- Add a new red refill to an empty reusable spool.
- Print for a while.
- Remove the now partially used red refill from the reusable spool
- Add a new yellow (or previously partially used) refill on the reusable spool no longer holding the red regill.
The short answer, the red refill would immediately untangle.
You would require a means to secure the refill you remove without it automatically unspooling. There is no supplied way of doing this.
When the refill arrives, it comes vacuum sealed and plastic tied at four points. The vacuum sealed plastic wrap provides its shape. The ties are there only to provide temporary support until you have placed it on the reusable spool.
You could wrap the outer ring of filament in sticky tape, brown packing tape for example. This would not provide and side wall support.
This sounds like a recipe for disaster.
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That is exactly what I was asking about! Thank you for explaining why it wouldn’t work.
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My tip is to just print a new spool. It doesn’t take too long, and there are some designs out there that saves some filament vs Bambu’s own printable design. Don’t use PLA if you are going to dry it.
Can I ask why using pla is going to be a problem when drying? Especially if both the spool and filament being dried is made with pla?
It’s not a problem. All my printed spools are PLA and I use them in my dryers all the time - for PLA and others.
It’s more of a problem if you put other materials on the spool. I saw some who had spools that got deformed, that’s all.
https://www.printables.com/model/1080394-spoolchanger-5000-bambu-lab-spool-swapping-tool
hope it helps - i had made a mistake and put PETG on low temp spool - so i couldnt use it in dryer, in order to take it out and swap to different - hightemp spool - i used this.
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What if… What if I did this ? 
Im stupid I know but didn’t really think about it.
My old filament is not fully unspooled but it started to “go away” on the sides of the spool. I think I wouldn’t fit in a spool anymore.
I will print one and try but if that didn’t work can I print a respool tool used with a drill and respool it or will it be a pain in the ass?
There are like 900gr of galaxy pla 
It is far easier to use one that supports drills that you control speed rather than a manual hand crank version.
Thank you for your help. I was looking at that on makerworld. Any print to recommend?
And should I print 2 spools? On to roughly put the filament refill and one to properly spool the filament into it with the respool tool?
I know this is nearly a year ago, but I had a spool that cracked that I needed to move the filament from that one to a new one, and I can confirm that the link that noderblade provided 100% worked for me.
I thought the same until I found a new spool design that actually lets me swap half-used filaments without a mess. Didn’t think it’d work that well, but it does.
How about sharing the new spool design so we can see what makes it different?
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What makes it different is that each side of the spool has wide side slots, big enough for fingers to pass through. You can thread hook-and-loop straps through these slots to hold the filament in place when it’s only half used.
That way, you can open the spool, swap to another color, and the filament you take off stays neatly secured instead of unspooling everywhere. I’ve done a few swaps like this already, and it’s been working great so far.
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Can you share a link to the spool?
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I probably shouldn’t post a direct link here, but it’s from a smaller brand called MarsWork. If you search “MarsWork pla matte with spool” on Amazon, you’ll find the one I’ve been using. That version comes with the new spool design I mentioned earlier.
I just came across this swappable spool yesterday, it looks promising. What are your experience with it?
The price is reasonable, especially if you buy their filament with the spool, 2 for $32 with PLA (affiliate link). Amazon.com: MarsWork PLA Basic, Pre-Dried Filament with Quick-Swap Reusable Spool 2kg (4.4lbs), 1.75mm 3D Printing Filament, Compatible with Bambu Lab 3D Printers – Black + Black : Industrial & Scientific
Slight downside is that the spool can only withstand 70c dryer, only good for PLA and PETG.
There are similar design on Makerworld, BTW.
Those look fantastic, I’ll get the 8-pack of those for less than the eBay used ones I was thinking about.
Btw, if you’re concerned about temperature tolerance for drying engineering filaments, they also have that spool design made of aluminum!
No quick release for the aluminum ones is a deal breaker for me. My concern is the durability of the quick release, there is only one way to find out I guess.