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?
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.