What do you do with the remaining filament on the spool?
I'm starting to get spools with small amounts of filament left.
What do all of you do with these?
Is there any rule of thumb for estimating how much you can use without running out?
RE: What do you do with the remaining filament on the spool?
I'm starting to get spools with small amounts of filament left.
What do all of you do with these?
Is there any rule of thumb for estimating how much you can use without running out?
I work with Octoprint and the Filament Manager plugin. When I clamp a new roll, I define the filament (price, weight, color, manufacturer, etc.). When this filament is selected for printing, it automatically counts the consumption and stores it in a database. This way I can also see whether the remaining quantity on the roll will be sufficient for a forthcoming print.
https://plugins.octoprint.org/plugins/filamentmanager/
Statt zu klagen, dass wir nicht alles haben, was wir wollen, sollten wir lieber dankbar sein, dass wir nicht alles bekommen, was wir verdienen.
RE: What do you do with the remaining filament on the spool?
[...] What do all of you do with these?
If I'm doing a bigger job, I just make sure I have another of the same filament handy. The filament runout is pretty reliable on the Mk3, and I often do test prints using the last remnants of spools using it.
and miscellaneous other tech projects
He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
RE: What do you do with the remaining filament on the spool?
I have a bowden delta (Flsun QQ-s) that i do rapid prototyping with the odd ends of the rolls.
I have about 60cm total length tube+hotend+extruder and check the estimated usage in the slicer.
Then i just check the print from time to time and standby ready to feed the next leftover roll direct to the extruder.
But, i don't do it for a living, so my timecost might prevent this and it may be more costeffective and goodwill for a company to donate the tiny leftovers to someone with a 3d-pen for example instead of managing running printers.
Prusa Mini+ kit. BondTech extruder. FW 5.1.2
Prusa MK3S+ kit. Stock. FW 3.11.0
Prusa MK3S+, used. Stock. FW 3.13.3
RE: What do you do with the remaining filament on the spool?
[...] What do all of you do with these?
If I'm doing a bigger job, I just make sure I have another of the same filament handy. The filament runout is pretty reliable on the Mk3, and I often do test prints using the last remnants of spools using it.
I'll try to do a pause/unload/load when it's running very low and doing something not visible, such as infill.
When I have leftovers, if there's a meaningful amount left I'll often wind it on a smaller spool and store it in one of the dryboxes, then use it for whatever works, or for throw-away test prints. Smaller amounts I'll just keep the loose coils and use those for test prints.
My problem seems to be with availability of brand, type, and color. I do not want to start a print with one brand of filament and have to switch to another mid-print, so if I think it may run out, I'll start with a fuller spool. I've also been getting in the habit of reordering earlier for the colors I use most to try to keep as consistent as I can.
RE: What do you do with the remaining filament on the spool?
I'm starting to get spools with small amounts of filament left.
What do all of you do with these?
Is there any rule of thumb for estimating how much you can use without running out?
Collect the scraps together by type and use when the colour doesn't matter; say when you are going to paint it, when its an early prototype you expect to refine further or just make striped engineering parts for talking-point repairs 🙂
When you have an empty spool of the same type, weigh it. Weigh the part full spools to calculate how much is left and when you slice compare the amount with the weight the slicer predicts it needs.
.. or you could buy a 3d pen; occasionally useful for welding larger parts together.