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Topic: tricks to keep filament spooled

Anyone have any good tips or tricks here.  I did recently print lawsys filament guide which might help me, haven't tried it just yet. Most of my problems arise from id say the first 50% of a roll, I'm using the stock spool holder and really dont have the room to add a seperate holder currently.  I've had a few instances on long prints that the filament gets completely tangled around the holder and stops the printer.  Normally ill detangle and respool as its printing but there's got to be a better way, so what is everyone else doing to prevent this

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Re: tricks to keep filament spooled

Well I can't provide a pic as I have recently changed my setup, but what I was using before was a cotton pad, (you know those little circular pads women use for cleaning off makeup), that I would fold over in half around the filament. Then I would use one of those little black paper clip things that IanJohnson was using to hold his glass to the bed to hold the edges of the cotton pad together so that the cotton pad was "taco-ing" the filament. Then I used some string that I put through the metal finger tabs on the metal clip. Then I used magnets to hold the string ends to the backside of the printer to make sure the metal clip and cotton pad wouldn't slide around anywhere. The filament could still slide through the pad just fine and kept it from unwinding. Hope that made sense. I have found that sometimes I need to unspool the filament and then respool as for whatever reason the filament came wound pretangled, (the filament was wound under the previous loops).

3 (edited by nickythegreek 2013-01-15 14:59:04)

Re: tricks to keep filament spooled

Devil,

I have this issue with my Octave spools alot until they are about 50% gone. I use a couple of  magnets on top of the case with  a butter knife blade attached to them.  The butterknife handle protrudes out towards the spool and I have a xmas ornament hook on the end of the knife which  guides the filament.

I really need to print out a nice lookin piece to replace this hack.

http://www.soliforum.com/misc.php?action=pun_attachment&item=656&download=0

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Re: tricks to keep filament spooled

My thingiverse design for this issue.
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:38222

This helped me a lot, plus you can add the sponge to it to wipe the dust off the filament.  I also use a little spring hair clip that I have next to the spool to keep it under the slightest tension so it doesn't overspin.  I have the original spool holder design that came out perpendicular to the back of the machine.

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Re: tricks to keep filament spooled

cmetzel,

My filament will still flop off the spool with your guide installed. I use my knife setup along with your guide.

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Re: tricks to keep filament spooled

nickythegreek wrote:

cmetzel,

My filament will still flop off the spool with your guide installed. I use my knife setup along with your guide.

How does it flop off, does the spool itself move so it's pulling on an angle, or does a quick tug by a y-axis movement keep spinning the spool until there is an overspin causing filament to come loose?

In either case, using the clip that I mentioned to keep tension against the side of the spool would prevent both of those issues. 

I have an idea for a tension clip that people could use, let me draw something up.

7 (edited by cmetzel 2013-01-15 16:33:10)

Re: tricks to keep filament spooled

Okay here's the idea, you clip this on your pvc tube and snug it up next to your spool so it can't over rotate. 

I'm at work so I can't print and test the fit, but it should snap over the tube and be snug enough not to let the spool wander or overspin.    Finger pull / material saving so you can take it back off if you want.

If anyone wants to give it a try and give feedback I can modify the design.

Post's attachments

spool clip.STL 29.57 kb, 75 downloads since 2013-01-15 

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Re: tricks to keep filament spooled

The filament wants off my octave spool like its a prison break.  I believe that when it does popoff, it is due to over rotation of the spool itself.

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Re: tricks to keep filament spooled

Try the clip, see if that works for you

10 (edited by HelmutK 2013-01-15 20:21:06)

Re: tricks to keep filament spooled

lawsy's Filament Guide Valve works great for me to stop spool unwinding and tangle issues. I use it for Solidoodle, Octave, Ultimaker, and printed spools... http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:31317

11 (edited by Irish 2013-01-15 22:57:55)

Re: tricks to keep filament spooled

My spool now hangs from  a shelf above the printer. I made a yoke of 1" PVC pipe and that hangs from two large cup hooks screwed into the shelf bottom. Works real good as the spool edge is about 3" in over the top of the printer. I have removed the useless metal cabinet.

Before that, when I used the holder that Solidoodle sent, I put a small spring binder clip on the top frame and threaded the filement through one of the crome handles to the print head. Held the filament perfect and no issues with it coming off the spool.

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Re: tricks to keep filament spooled

Very low tech... Very effective though.
http://www.soliforum.com/misc.php?action=pun_attachment&item=492&download=0

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Re: tricks to keep filament spooled

Great to see some options,  ill hopefully get a chance this weekend to tinker more.

I think most of the problem is big jumps in y axis. Like going from front of printer to the back, this relieves tension on the filament and gives enough slack to allow it to coil over the spool.

An ideal setup would be something that could allow the spool to freely rotate forward but as soon as there is slack it would rotate backwards to pull tight again.

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Re: tricks to keep filament spooled

Here's a couple of photos showing my setup and the reel holder I built to hang from the shelf above the printer. The PVC pipe is not glued so it's easy to take apart. This cabinet was a wardrobe cabinet I purchased from Menard's and modified a bit. Used it as a modeling worksite for a number of years and converted it to use for the Solidoodle. There was another shelf that I removed.

http://www.rustystumps.com/solidoodlephotos/SolidoodeSetup2.jpg

http://www.rustystumps.com/solidoodlephotos/SolidoodeSetup3.jpg

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Re: tricks to keep filament spooled

I like your setup Irish. Wish I had room for cabinet to do something similar.

16 (edited by Diecrusher 2013-01-17 21:50:21)

Re: tricks to keep filament spooled

I'm using a modified SD spool mount which raises the spool and turns it 90 degress. 

I am using Octave filament and just made some large diameter cardboard discs (with holes for the spool rod to go thru) about 9" in dia. that I press against the sides of the spools using split spool locator rings (that fit on the spool rod.) that I printed.

Now it doesn't seem to matter if the filament unspools a little as it can't really go anywhere. smile

17 (edited by RGargus 2013-01-27 19:34:48)

Re: tricks to keep filament spooled

nickythegreek wrote:

The filament wants off my octave spool like its a prison break.  I believe that when it does popoff, it is due to over rotation of the spool itself.

I wonder if something like this, hanging down on an axle between the spool and the printer might help at least keep the filement centered on the spool.
I have added the stl if anyone is interested, (and actually has a printer!) and cares to test it.

Post's attachments

guidecone.jpg
guidecone.jpg 31.06 kb, 2 downloads since 2013-01-27 

guidecone.stl 61.41 kb, 5 downloads since 2013-01-27 

You don't have the permssions to download the attachments of this post.

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Re: tricks to keep filament spooled

nickythegreek wrote:

Devil,

I have this issue with my Octave spools alot until they are about 50% gone. I use a couple of  magnets on top of the case with  a butter knife blade attached to them.  The butterknife handle protrudes out towards the spool and I have a xmas ornament hook on the end of the knife which  guides the filament.

I really need to print out a nice lookin piece to replace this hack.

http://www.soliforum.com/misc.php?action=pun_attachment&item=656&download=0

This has to be my favorite Solidoodle hack so far. Kudos to you my friend.

Former Solidoodle employee, no longer associated with the company.