I’m noticing more brands embracing cardboard spools and I’m for it
They’re easier to recycle
My only issue is when they’re full they squeak on my filament holder during printing, but I’m planning to fix that… Eventually.
https://www.myminifactory.com/object/3d-print-ender-3-ball-bearing-spool-holder-90265 This spool holder might be a good solution for that. I’m currently also looking to replace the terrible spool holder that came with my new printer.
this is cool, but kinda overkill. I just printed a super simple insert that fits snugly into the spole hole and the problem went away completely.
If companies that still used plastic spools are starting to switch to cardboard, I think that’s a good thing. Not only is it easier to recycle, but probably also lighter (your typical 1kg filament spool weighs around 200-300g), so the bulk should save some fuel for transportation.
Though I personally prefer using no spool at all (during shipping) 😉 Wherever possible I buy Masterspool refills.
the spool is frequently included in the weight of the roll, so you’re getting 1kg either way. you get more plastic for printing, though.
Uh, that would be deceiving marketing, a 1kg spool should contain 1kg of filament…
But hey, maybe my view on this is a bit warped because I only buy filament from reputable brands (and usually from their own store) and not from marketplaces like “big A” where hundreds of sellers battle to be the cheapest.It’s not a “reputable” thing … it’s a process thing. Scales don’t get zeroed every time a fresh spool is loaded. Doing so adds complexity.
It’s pretty common for consumer goods to include the mass of packaging when the product is sold by mass across most industries.
I prefer the cardboard spools. Recyclable, yet still reusable at least for a few times. I hate the idea of accumulating a bunch of non-recyclable plastic spools I don’t need and can’t get rid of in an environmentally friendly way. Latest Inland spool I got is cardboard, though I’ve had both cardboard and plastic spools from them in the past.
Many manufacturers have been moving to cardboard. Less wasteful than plastic spools, more convenient than reusable spools.
Nah been getting rolls like that for a while now.
It’s a trend, away from the plastic spools which were decidedly made from a non-recyclable plastic.
It’s always been curious to me that recyclable plastic was never even considered to be an option.
That said - cardboard is recyclable and biodegradable, so it’s good no matter how you dispose of it.
But - it does have environmental downsides. If not carefully sourced, the wood can come from places where deforestation is a problem. It’s also rather energy intensive to make, so depending on the energy source can contribute to CO2 emissions.
Nothing will be perfect, but cardboard is likely better than the alternatives.
“Save the rainforests, use plastic instead!” really didn’t age well.
I have had cardboard spools for a while. I am on the fence. They are much easier to recycle (no matter how many 1million and 1 uses for plastic spools exist). however they creak horribly on my spool holder, and are much larger than most of the similar weight poly spools i have, so i had to create bespoke spool holders for all 3 printers i have!
They don’t seem to work very well with the AMS system from Bambu. Good news is can occasionally transplant them to a reusable (and printable too) spool.
This is what I sometimes do, transfer a bit of filament to a mini roll. There are a few decent files out there for re-spooling out there.
As environmental shakey 3d printing is, I am happy to be inconvenienced by cardboard spools, as that is one disposable things we can make not-plastic.
One interesting use for the ams system is automatic filament switching for when you want to finish a spool that has ??? Kg of filament left and you need a print to finish over night. Throw the questionable one in slot one and the new one in slot two, tell they system they are they same and it will switch over on run out.
Seems like the spool holders should have bearings in them to spin a bit, or something.
Been getting cardboard spools with Overture for some time. Honestly I like it much more than plastic.
Not new but probably done for cost saving purposes.
Not just cost savings but also not having to throw a more big chunks of plastic in the garbage when you’re done. The waste from support material, rafts, and failed prints is already bad enough.
I started ordering polymaker coming from overture. Both brands had swapped to cardboard spools. But as mentioned polymaker has a file uploaded to printables to print a ring border so they can roll easier. Especially since the cardboard rolls can get dented if shipped haphazardly.
https://www.printables.com/model/495778-polymaker-cardboard-spool-adapter
But I’ve gotten lucky, and the spools I have received with cardboard haven’t been damaged. But I have considered printing a few of these just in case…
There’s a version for overture that works basically exactly the same. Highly recommend.
Polymaker also makes PolyTerra filament. Cheaper, stronger, and environmentally friendly.
2 of 2 polymaker 1 kg spools I’ve purchased (from Amazon) arrived with dents along their outer lip. I bent them back and, although the result wasn’t perfect, didn’t have any problems. It does have rethinking my spool holder design so they rotate around their inner lip though.
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Some people get uneven extrusions with paper spools, since they can have higher friction against the spool holder compared to plastic spools. Usually only an issue with weak ungeared extruders, i.e. where the hobbed gear is attached directly to the motor’s shaft. But if you get this problem then you can try wrapping the spool holder with teflon tape, or printing a mod that puts a ball bearing in the spool holder.
You can update your roller with a spinning one to fix any issue.
Yep, and that was like… the second thing I did for my printer. Since then I’ve gone to printing out of a warming box, but I still use the roller occasionally and I’m still glad I did it, it solved problems.
I’ve been getting a ton of cardboard spools, but I prefer plastic - cardboard is incompatible with my Bambu AMS. To resolve I have to wrap the edge with electric tape, use a printed adapter, or in the worst cases (the cardboard is damaged) respool.
It depends on the brand. The shop I get mine from still uses plastic for their in-house brand but apparently they’re looking into switching to cardboard.
The other solution I like is selling reusable spools that come in half so you can load new rolls of filament on them. Even less waste!
I like them. Only issue I’ve had was self made, dropped a spool and it dented the cardboard which caused it to hang in the Sunlu dryer. Probably print some rings for my next bout of clumsiness.
