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ScubaPro
(@scubapro-2)
Member
Spool bouncing

This topic was modified 2 days ago by ScubaPro
Posted : 01/09/2025 10:28 pm
hyiger
(@hyiger)
Estimable Member
RE: Spool bouncing

If that's a carbon fiber filament (or other type of very stiff filament) then this can happen. For these types of filaments, I print directly from my dry box instead of mounting the spool. 

Posted : 02/09/2025 5:02 pm
ScubaPro
(@scubapro-2)
Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: Spool bouncing

Actually, it's a basic spool of standard PLA filament

Posted : 02/09/2025 6:53 pm
hyiger
(@hyiger)
Estimable Member
RE: Spool bouncing
Posted by: @scubapro-2

Actually, it's a basic spool of standard PLA filament

Never had that happen with softer filaments. My guess is perhaps it wasn't wound well to begin with? I've found this to be the case with cheaper filaments. 

Posted : 02/09/2025 11:36 pm
Tim
 Tim
(@tim-24)
Member
RE:

I'm going out on a limb here, but based on personal experience, here's my theory.

If the extruder filament drive & idler gears and filament aren't centered together, extruding will twist the filament and cause it to hop off the reel. This can happen with most any toothed extruder. 

Easiest is to check the two idler pressure screws are equal and the idler latch isn't binding and torquing the idler at an angle. Also visually check the filament is in the middle of the teeth on the gears. If a gear is set too high or too low on the motor shaft, the filament rides a sloping track and twisting is pretty likely. Why? filament rides one gear at one radius, and the other gear at a different radius, and the two different speeds imparts a torque that twists the filament. Over several meters, this twist adds up and gets back to the spool, eventually causing filament to hop over the edge.

 

This post was modified 14 hours ago by Tim
Posted : 03/09/2025 6:35 am
Mercur12
(@mercur12)
Trusted Member
RE:

@hyiger is right. The windings on the spool are wound too loosely.

@Tim is wrong: If there was a torque effect, the loose windings outside the spool would be turned above or underneath the spool like a spring.

This post was modified 12 hours ago by Mercur12
Posted : 03/09/2025 8:11 am
Tim
 Tim
(@tim-24)
Member
RE: Spool bouncing

 

Posted by: @mercur12

@hyiger is right. The windings on the spool are wound too loosely.

@Tim is wrong: If there was a torque effect, the loose windings outside the spool would be turned above or underneath the spool like a spring.

Then what force is lifting the filament into the air above the spool? If there is no torque on it, it'd be hanging loose when off the spool.

Posted : 03/09/2025 2:57 pm
Diem
 Diem
(@diem)
Illustrious Member

If filament is wound loosely it's possible for the end under tension to pull between other turns and jam slightly.  When such a jam pulls free the tension imparts spin to the spool and it turns perhaps a quarter turn under its own momentum - filament is not very compressible so the next turn lifts above the outer layer and passes some of the pressure on to the next turn and so-on so that several turns no longer fit the spool and can sometimes slip sideways.

This is closely related to the 'bird's nest' tangles experienced by novices learning to cast with some types of fishing reels.

Cheerio,

Posted : 03/09/2025 7:18 pm
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