Why isn’t there an official spool format standard?
I’ve used desktop FFF 3D printers for over fifteen years now, and I’ve seen all kinds of filament spools. In the beginning, they were typically designed around the machine and came in quite a range of formats. Interoperability was a bit of a gamble.
One reason for the different spool formats was a weak attempt by 3D printer manufacturers to encourage operators to purchase their spools instead of those from third parties. Some even went as far as “chipping” their spools to force use of their materials, but that method largely died out due to extreme unpopularity.
Since then, spools have mostly converged to the formats we see today.
But they are not all precisely the same.
How do I know this? It’s because of the introduction of several multimaterial spool attachments, such as Bambu Lab’s AMS, Anycubic’s ACE Pro, and similar units. These all accept spools that are very close in dimensions.
When using my AMS (and similar units), I often — like you — use non-manufacturer spools. I happen to have a rather large collection of miscellaneous spools and do want to use them in these systems, especially if a specific colour is required.
Unfortunately, sometimes the spools don’t quite fit into the AMS or similar units. They might have an external diameter that’s a bit too big, or the inner hub diameter is not quite right to fit on the hub.
I’m sure most desktop 3D printer operators have had the same issue.
I believe it’s time to put this issue to bed, once and for all.
Spool manufacturers should now all make spools that universally fit on these multimaterial systems. A specific standard format should be agreed to by everyone.
This would not only make it simpler for 3D printer operators, but it would also simplify things for designers of future AMS-style hardware. They would know that if the unit was built to those specifications, then all third-party spools could be used.
Even if there isn’t a formal standard announced for spool formats, it could happen naturally anyway. Market pressures might encourage spool manufacturers and equipment developers to use increasingly similar dimensions.
That’s my hope, anyway: I don’t want to spend any more time re-spooling filament just so I can use it on my AMS.
