Let’s face it, 3D printing spools are about as interesting as toilet roll spools. Uninteresting does not necessarily equate to unnecessary though. This crowdfunding campaign to share a low cost alternative to the current range of automatic filament winders on the market, allowing relative precision in control towind your own extruded filament onto spools for better storage does well to make this subject interesting, especially the video. Let’s see if I can write this article in the same spirit… Filament! Does having to wind it up wind you up? Are you too cool for spool? What if a team had decided to come together to solve this dilemma for you?
That team is here. That mission is at hand. The time is now. The team that brought you The Filament Safe – a box for filament to keep moisture from dampening your 3D printing dreams – are here to save the day, again. Worry not, one of life’s less interesting problems has been solved for you. Now you can go back to you other pastimes without those sleepless nights.
Let’s watch a video together? Just you and me? Ohhhhh go on… You will? Cool! You’ll have to press play though!
Perception Engineering tested a number of different ways to wind unspooled filament. They began by simply winding the extruded material by hand. Time consuming what with one slip of the hand meaning starting from scratch, so the team moved on to winding the material connected to a power drill. Thissaved time but there was not enough control to ensure that the material wound correctly onto the spool. All sounds a bit strange to me, but then I have just woken up.
Perception Engineering say: ‘By using the Spooler Mini, one can quickly wind the desired amount of material with one hand while easily guiding the filament on the spool with the other hand.This has proven to be a superior manual solution to other methods, and far more cost effective than automatic material winders… This filament winder is framed with a rigid 14 gauge powder coated steel support, and equipped with three powerful suction cup feet which are able to attach to any clean, flat, smooth surface. The standard size 3D material spool is secured using a locking plate and given a smooth motion by two high quality thrust bearings and a glass filled nylon crank handle.’
A USD$60 pledge at the Kickstarter campaign will earn you a Spooler Mini. You will need to add $65 to that for shipping outside of the USA.
It looks pretty neat. And whilst I joke that it isn’t all that interesting an item, the point of course is its functionality. You will know if the idea sounds pragmatic to you.
I’m a maker. That means I cannot seriously disrespect anything that has potential to be made, modded or manufactured. I have disrespected toilet roll spools. Anyone reading in the UK will probably be aware of the making projects for children from the long running TV program Blue Peter? Almost every single making project across decades included toilet roll spools. What mightily useful readily discarded items they are. So, in true maker spirit I leave you with a myriad maker marvels made, modded or manufactured with toilet roll spools! A Blue Peter Badge to the first person to make a filament spool holder out of them…
