Filament tangled on spool  

RE:

I print a few spools a a week, it happenes from time to time.  This helps - https://www.printables.com/model/1299-filament-guide  

RE: Filament tangled on spool

I've had a few tangled spools, and I must admit they were pilot error.

Some people swear that they've received tangled spools from the suppliers, but if you think about how they are wound, that's close to impossible.  Somebody in the factory would need to be  very negligent to let that happen.

RE:

Never let go of the end of the filament! Or that's what you're  going to get. 

RE: Filament tangled on spool

Or if you do let go if you have a filament guide like I posted above and a dust filter, something like this, the spool won't unravel on you and get crossovers which is what leads to this problem.

RE: Filament tangled on spool

a dust filter, something like this, the spool won't unravel on you and get crossovers which is what leads to this problem.

Do I need to put something like cotton in the dust filter or does it just grip the filament tight enough to scrap dust off? And where do I mount it?

I'll be printing up the filament guide soon.

(I'm also realizing one of the 2-3 big issues about why my Ender has never printed well is poor design - the way the filament goes into the extruder on that, it has a rather sharp right angle. I was noticing that just now, before I got on the computer and saw this. So I'll need a guide there, too.)

RE: Filament tangled on spool

@tango

No you don't need any of the extra stuff people mention relative to your machine, some folks just like to mod their machines, that's the fun in for them . you don't need any of that to print and print well.

The one acceptation might be a quality filament dryer.

It's a personal preference, you will meet people that swear, it's the way to go. I would focus on learning the software, and the specifics of your machine, as well as the basics of printing with your filament choices.

Regards

Swiss_Cheese

RE:

Adding a filament guide is imho not a mod but a means of fixing the fact that there are hundreds of different spool qualities out there. Look at the technical issue: printing large items covering much of the build plate may result in a transit of the extruder from, say, front left to rear right when changing to the next layer. This results in a very long piece of filament having been pulled from the spool to print left front to being pushed back when the extruder moves rear right. The filament then, particularly on full spools, may jump off the spool or may after some time, sneak itself under the next, yet not unwound but already loose loop of filament on the spool. When the extruder then suddenly travels a longer distance again, the loop is tightened again,  catching its "predecessor", re-wound filament underneath. Do this a couple of times and you have a perfect knot of doom. Filament wanders on the spool left and right in these circumstances.

The guide results in the filament being pushed back not on the spool but into a curve between extruder and guide, usually avoiding the filament to be pushed fully back to the spool. The dust filters I have never made use of, a simple guide attached to the i3 upper frame does it for me. Those who print smaller items on a limited part of the plate might never encounter the.issue.

Cheers

Chris

RE:

Posted by: @justme3d

Adding a filament guide is imho not a mod but a means of fixing the fact that there are hundreds of different spool qualities out there. Look at the technical issue: printing large items covering much of the build plate may result in a transit of the extruder from, say, front left to rear right when changing to the next layer. This results in a very long piece of filament having been pulled from the spool to print left front to being pushed back when the extruder moves rear right. The filament then, particularly on full spools, may jump off the spool or may after some time, sneak itself under the next, yet not unwound but already loose loop of filament on the spool. 

 100% this.  This guy gets it.  Even with a perfect spool, with large prints on a full spool, filament can jump off the spool sides and cause a tangle.  A centered filament guide corrects this.  Ask me how I know.  Its 's a no-brainer imo.

Regarding your question on the dust filters.. yes you need to fill them with a piece of a cut-up sponge, the cheap yellow sponges work great one sponge will probably last you a lifetime you just cut little pieces of it off to fit inside of the dust filter. You'll be surprised how much gets pulled off the filament each spool. It also has the added benefit of holding the filament for, kind of like a clamp so it doesn't back out past the filament guide when you remove filament from the extruder to change colors or do maintenance/whatever.