Converting a cardboard filament spool to the Bambu Lab reusable plastic spool holder
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
- If you want to widen your filament selection to include brands that come on cardboard holders, like those from Polymaker, while maintaining compatibility with your Bambu Lab AMS, you can easily convert them without having to use fancy spool winders or electrical tape.
I see why this is the most watched cardboard to Bambu spool conversion. Super simple. Thanks for the info.
That's a very nice comment. Thank you.
Thanks for this, I've seen this before, but people usually tape up the filament so it doesn't untangle, but the way you did it seems like it works just fine, and is much faster and easier! Great Video!
I initially used the electrical tape method too, but had multiple fails and decided to go this route. For the record, I didn't come up with this technique. I had seen it described elsewhere and decided to make a video. Thanks for your comment!
Exactly what I do with eSun filament BUT before I pick which side to rip off first I look inside the hole of the spool to find where the end of the filament pokes through so hold it on the reel at the end. Then I take that side off so I can use the notch on the bambu just like you have. The notch is not always on the same side.
So the new Esun cardboard spools can fit like this? Just recently got some assuming they were still plastic but they got delivered cardboard. Was probably going to have to print the winder off otherwise.
Beware, some eSun spools have a smaller "core" (had one of those recently), so they won't fit on a bambu spool (happened to me with some ePLA-SS)
I stopped doing this and I just put them in the AMS as they are (the cardboard they're using have rounded borders now, so it doesn't give any problem
@@glics yes, I had the same experience :( It worked with eSun couple of times, but then I bought eSun ePLA Magic, and it was much smaller than the Bambu spool :(
@@glics how long have you been doing that? My concern with putting the cardboard spools in is the dust ruining my AMS
Interesting idea. I have just been printing covers for the roll edges.
I never tried twisting the spool. Popped right off and was able to bust that cardboard off and swap it over. This video helped a ton and saved LOADS of time.
The cardboard spool from eSUN jammed up my filament in the AMS feeder. Haven't had an issue at all with the plastic ones.
Thanks! Much easier than rewinding. Our Bambu AMS has been jamming a lot lately so I'll try the Bambu spool and see if that helps.
Super smart! Not sure if I have the guts to do it anytime soon, but I definitely have to try it.
Easy to do with Overture and Elegoo rolls. Thanks! A little tight on Jayo but with determination you can do it and it still unspools well.
There should be a wiki for this. I just tried with an Inland spool and the external diameter of the Bambu spool (80.6mm) is larger than the internal diameter of the Inland (76.6mm). I was already committed so I got out my hobby knife and whittled away at the interior of the Inland spool until I peeled away enough layers to fit the Bambu through it.
I've only tried with the Polymaker spools. I tend to stick to a specific brand once I achieve good results. I've recently started using Bambulab's own ABS-GF for almost all my work. At $29/roll it's not crazy expensive and the results have been superb. And... they come ready to use in the AMS!
This is super smart but even though I see a comment below that someone did this with an Elegoo spool, I would caution that not all spools are the same. I took this information and went for it only to have to super glue the chunks of the first side back on and use my filament spooler. So as great as this method is, I would say a winder is still a good tool. Actually, I find that I can buy filament for around the same price on amazon that comes on plastic spools that work out of the box in my AMS.
You are right that not all spools are alike. I've only done it with Polymaker, which has been my goto-filament brand for several years now.
thank you, and you got to the point so many people have to tell their life story first... thank you!!!!!
Thanks for this dude!
Thank you so much for the excellent video and explanation. Very Thorough.
I've linked your video on reddit like 100x lol. You have helped the community alot my friend. Cheers.
Whooaaa that's awesome! Thanks for sharing
sadly not all cardboard spools are same
some are smaller in diameter so it wont fit in the bambu spool
i found this the hard way
Awesome video... Thank you very much for this. It worked great and I could not be more pleased...
Amazing, thank you
Overture spools work well with this method, eSun not so much. I have a respooler as backup.
That is pure brilliance
Tried this with an old eSun PLA+ spool and it worked as advertised. Just tried it with a spool of the new eSun ePLA-HS filament and guess what? eSun changed the goddamn internal diameter of the spool core. It's now about 20mm smaller internally and the Bambu spool won't fit inside. Going to have to wind it onto the Bambu spools.
I thought I was going crazy, everyone saying it was simple and the first 2 I’ve just tried didn’t fit. I assumed something had changed since the making of this video.
@@Techadopter Awesome solution I found is the "eSUN cardboard adapter spool" in the Online Models section of Bambu Studio. It's the fastest to print and lowest in filament spool I've found and it comes in a 75mm variant which fits the eSun ePLA+HS cardboard rolls perfectly.
@@sgtkabukiman9411 I’m printing a spool at this moment but I don’t think it’s that one, I shall look it up thanks.
@@Techadopter When I looked at the cost to print in my slicer, it was the only spool that was actually cheaper to print than buying a spool from Bambu.
@@sgtkabukiman9411 turns out the half spool I’ve just printed is also too big (there were two options, the older larger and newer smaller internal-both inadequate)
I think I’ve found the one you meant, having waded through the rims that will suit a need but not be a universal remedy…the one I have now finished with has 2 sized internal options that fit the same external frame, meaning this operation of removing the cardboard instead of respooling on a spooler is still possible.
What annoys me about this makerworld place is the lack of dimensional drawings, just chapter and verse explanations about people’s lives when I just need the numbers.🤦♂️
Thanks for the tip, that is very helpful!
eSun, Overture and polymaker all seem to use the same size. Just like BBL does.
THANK YOU!
Unfortunately I have inland brand and I can't get my ripped off cardboard reel on my printed one
You sir have a mechanics mind for sure pulling that switch up instead of re doing the entire Spool
Amazing! What other brands are compatible with this hack?
Andy - not sure. I've only used it with Polymaker brand filament. Thanks for the comment!
there are spacers on printables to make it even more snug and less likely to spin.
Do you know the STL?
@@Ggoodnight35 Printables, Makerworld, etc - search for {brand type} Spool Adapter and you'll find them.
This also works with Overture cardboard filament rolls as well. I have heard there are some that this won't work with, but I have yet to find which brand that is.
Anycubic, I had a rite nightmare yesterday trying Todo this 😂
@@Teab8g What did you do? I destroyed the cardboard spool just to find out that the reusable bambu lab spool won't fit on it :D
Seems so obvious after you’ve seen this. I’m going to check the dimensions of my cardboard spools. Thanks!
Very helpful thanks. As someone who is researching 3D printing before getting into it, another question I have (and y’all in the comments here might be able to help) is: Can you then take the empty spool and code the RFID as that filament type from a 3rd party or is that an exclusively Bambu Labs thing?
Thanks. Re: RFID - Good question. I don’t know. If you discovered the format and could add entries into the list of recognized filaments you might be able to buy some inexpensive RFID tags off Amazon and add their IDs to the database. But, not knowing the formats or details of how Bambu Labs does this that’s a big “if.”
This is a hard no. Ive been down this rabbit hole, and there is no hope, for now. You can reuse them if you buy a similar color and material though.
Super helpful video. Thank you so much
Another option you can find online is to 3D print sleeve to put around the cardboard lined up with the holes and it worked in the AMS without any issues.
Is there a particular model you’d recommend?
@@davidgeller6109 not specifically, but you can find many versions on Thangs or Printables. But they all work the same. I prefer cardboard just cause it’s easier to recycle and I don’t have to worry about trying to respool an empty plastic spool.
@@xHMProductionx Downside of this, at least with the eSun spools I've had so far, some of them are slightly larger in diameter than the specced 200mm. And the sleeves don't fit, and increasing the scale by enough causes the spool diameter to exceed the 202mm limit of the AMS lid. So need to be careful on that one.
@@slothy89uni we can never win!
Thanks!
AWESOME!!!!
The cardboard soil works perfectly for me in my AMS. Am
I missing something?
The main concern I see is that the cardboard gets ground up a little bit as they spin, and all those little bits of cardboard could eventually cause an issue.
IQ 200+ thank you!!
Thanks for the video and the link…I love the v2 ribbed version! Printing them now. I already have 2 but they have smooth surfaces…
im a beginner and i had ton of problesm the filament tangling up with this method...
Thats a good tip thanks..
Works great, for spool centers that FIT the Bambu spools. Don't try that with Inland filament.
I learned that the hard way unfortunately after the micro center guys told me it was super simple and sold me 4 refillable spools. $25 wasted spool that came unraveled. Live and learn. The inland cardboard core is a hair too small for the refillable plastic spool to fit inside. Now I have a giant tangled slinky.
@@apollowall1205same here just figuring this out as I sit here with a half ripped reel trying to figure out what I do
Shouldve did this before hand. Ruined a a spool. Luckily it was mostly through but could've still used it
has anyone tried with overture filament?
Unfortunately my spool from Bambu Lab doesn't have the indent.
Tried this with Jayo and one other brand but their spools won't fit on them. Wasted two rolls of filament trying this. Ugh.
Ive done this and it works until the end of the roll, and then it will not respool on material changes and the ams wont switch to another bay, it will error out. Maybe i need to retain the inside filament end somehow.
I’ve never had it error out, but I have noticed it not auto selecting another spool when empty that the AMS has been told is the same material.
I just print out the spool adapters that you can find in Bambu Makers World
What about the tag that tells the printer what color etc.
2:04 Almost gave me a heart attack
I tried it today with Esun filament, but I couldn’t get the Bambu lab spool to lock
I’ve never tried it with eSun, so I can comment on it specifically. But, I know I often have to apply even pressure and rotate the top piece left and right until I feel it going into the groves on the receiving half. For me, Polymaker spools continue to work well with this technique. I use their ASA filament often.
Cheers
I do the same but tape down the filament hard first just to be sure. It is a hot mess if it spins around or off. Thisbadda anither 30 seconds
This does not work with the Inland brand from Microcenter.
This is great thank tou
Rhsbks for the video.. nice.
tried to do this but my cardboard inner circle was too big, i'd need a hole saw to make it fit
If you use Inland, don't waste your time with this. I just sent a brand new spool to the trash...LOL The diameter of the carboard is way too small, even after removing the interior ring.
Why do this? What’s the pros of using the plastic spool? Why not just run the cardboard spools?
They tend not to work well with the AMS.
Someone please explain why don’t you just use the regular spool instead of putting on the plastic one? Isn’t it just easier to use the cardboard. I’m
New to printing and I just use the cardboard ones
The cardboard spools from some vendors, such as Polymaker, don't seem to do particularly well when used inside of Bambu Labs' AMS. That's the only reason. If you're hanging them or spooling them on another holder then there's no reason to change spools and the cardboard ones work just fine.
Best tip evarrrr
I wasn’t the person that came up with it, but I’m glad the video was helpful. I almost exclusively use the Polymaker ASA, so it has worked out well for me. Use some caution with other brands. They don’t all work as well and some might require using a respooling device.
Anyone done this with Inland's cardboard spools? I have one so bad that it won't retract in my AMS even with the printed out rings, or the screw-down spool I printed. I'm exhausting all the alternatives before I go down the print and assemble a respooler path.
This worked pretty well for the Inland filament, But the inner spool is big enough that it doesn't stay in place when aligned with the notch in the Bambu spools. It just spins around anyway. But still rolls and retracts correctly in the AMS.
👍
Anyone trayed this with Overture premium pla filaments ?
Cool vid. How does this work when the INNER spool diameter doesn't fit inside the plastic Bambu Labs spool? Seems like many different brands are using different diameters for pretty much everything...
My advice would be to examine the spools before tearing them apart. I was lucky that the Polymaker spools fit just right. Since I’m mostly printing for my Etsy shop I’ve standardized on the Polymaker ASA, even though it’s more expensive than other brands. But, it has been consistently very good.
@@davidgeller6109 This should be the first thing in your description and a disclaimer on the video, otherwise you're just baiting people to waste money if they have a spool diameter you haven't tried.
@@apethae1 Not sure what you mean. The video clearly shows me converting a Polymaker cardboard spool holder for use with a Bambulab plastic spool holder. What disclaimer should I make? I'm not selling anything. I'm showing what I have done -- and continue to do whenever I use Polymaker filament. Plus, if things don't work out you can use a filament spool winder to put it onto something else. If Polymaker has since released new or different spools that don't work, then I'm sorry it caused you grief. I haven't experienced any problems with their spools using this technique.
Be careful. Not all cardboard spools are alike. Dual filament spools are too large and some are too small. 3d print the respooler for Bambu.
Well, I pretty much only use the Polymaker stuff now and this approach is far more practical and easier than re-spooling. But, I could see that re-spooling would be useful in some cases. I printed and have the jig, and it's cool, for sure.
@@davidgeller6109i did that, but the innwr diameter of polymaker spool is smaller,so the filament roll turns by itself when on bambu rings. Should i be worried?
🤯
"Find a an empty hole and stick it..."
Poly maker has a hole too big for the Bambu labs spools….it doesn’t fit tight enough and causes lots of slippage
read in another comment further above that there are spacers available on printables for that exact reason. Happy printing!
What is the spacer STL?
that process didn't work with reprapper.
DO NOT DO THIS WITH anycubic, doesnt fit made a mess. learned the hard way. lol
LOL thank you, this is the brand name I was looking for. AMS doesn't like them. Gonna try to wrap cardboard edge with electrical tape a couple wraps and try that. I saw where that might work. Think I'm going to pay the extra buck or 2 per roll and stick with Bambu filament going forward. If you buy bulk refills it's not that much more really. Slower shipping than Amazon though so need to keep that in mind.
You just got lucky. Most cardboard spool I have would not allow the bambu spool to fit, the hole not big enough or the spool too wide.
Respooled plenty of shit box filaments from Amazon with the bambu spool.
Doesn't work with Jayo filament (I tried PETG).
The core cardboard cylinder is too big and needs to be removed (not easy at all, you'll need to tape the filament)
A real PITA and the filament jammed several times on the sides.
I do not recommend it for this brand.
This does not work on every brand. Does not work on Inland brand from microcenter. Can confirm. Now have a giant slinky rats nest it
Did not fit tried to transfer to other spool via re spooling and lots of tangles. Oh well.
i just it with Eyone silk pla this is the silly to do it is 50/50 you could make it to work or not my Experience did not work rude an spool of mine i will not never again try this way
Sorry it didn’t work you. I was very clear that I performed this procedure on Polymaker filament. I’ve never tried it with other brands.
just don't try this with eSun! Just wasted a new spool because eSun in their infinite wisdom didn't make their spools the same size as everyone else! ARGH!
I use 14 different eSun cardboard spools in my AMS and the work and fit flawlessly.
Don't do this, you may find the spool inner ring inside is smaller in diameter than the Bambu one and be out $20 when you can't easily transfer it over.
There are people that required a video to figure this out?