Expanding our Plans for the MarsWork Filament Management System

Quite by accident, I discovered that the 'loop' cards in the MarsWork Filament Management Kit are more than just simple card stock.  They are 'peel & stick'!

The first implication of this newly discovered fact is that I can use the self-sticking feature to more securely attach the cut columns to our storage buckets.  But, it also prompted us to develop 3D printed frames to more clearly identify the rows and columns on the cards.

Installed Filament Frames

The first frame we created allows us to see all of the filaments currently loaded into our current printers and dryers 

Installed Filament Frame for MarsWork Card

One of the reasons why this is important to us is that we might look over at the X1C and believe we have Pumpkin Orange loaded when, in fact, we have Orange loaded.  It also helps us identify the maker and type of each loaded filament at any given moment.  The more printers we install, the more this will become important/

 Stored Filament Frames

In our last blog article we discussed how we store filament in air-tight containers.   For now, we are using 5 gallon buckets.  While this sample frame just allows us to see what is in a particular bucket number, it could be expanded to include the location as well, and any other pertinent information.

Stored Filament Documentation

 

By the way, we use PLA ID Cards to identify TPU due to issues handling TPU in multi-color printers.  Yes, we can get it work; but, it's not fun!

Unopened Filament Frames

I would show a sample; but, I'm waiting for some additional cards to arrive.  Documenting what we have on hand is a bit tougher than documenting what is in storage because it involves colors and types of which we have not printed ID Tags.  So, this capability will have to reply on placeholders of a bland color simply holding the information until we actually open a spool and print the correct ID tag,  The organization is similar to that of the buckets,  Conveniently, our current new inventory is in stacks of 5 boxes permitting us to instantly locate the stack and position of the filemtn we need to open.

Repeat Project Frames 

Believe it or not, this is a big one.  We have projects that are reasonably complex that are repeated every few moths or a year. One such project is a 'Cruise Ship Ducky' that utilizes multiple blue hues that are hard to remember.  Being able to not only document what colors were used; but, also in which order will make these projects a lot easier to successfully be duplicated. 

Filament Card Organizer

When having a series of cards with which to keep track, it's helpful to be able to organize them in a convenient way.  We have opted to 3D print a box that stores the cards in a vertically tiered way that can easily fit on our desk.  At the moment it holds up to 5 cards.

Filament Management System Organizer for MarsWork ID Tags

Sometimes, simple systems can have enormous benefits in a multi-color, multi-printer, multi-user environment. We're very happy we found the MarsWork Quick-Swap spools and the Filament Management Kit.

MarsWork Filament Management System Streamlines Our Workflow

We are located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the USA.  Humidity is a major issue.  So, for more than a decade it has been a major priority for us to find ways to safely store filament in our inventory.  Very early, we began sealing opened filament in Filament Vacuum Storage bags and storing them in 5 gallon pain buckets available at local hardware stores.

What we hadn't anticipated was that the introduction of multi-color and multi-head 3D printers would explode the size of our inventory so rapidly!  In the past we had loaded a color into a printer and kept using it until it was gone.  But, now we find ourselves constantly swapping filament with each new project. And, of course, that means being able to find the filament we want as quickly as possible and storing unused filament so that we can find it.

For me, this involves both work and home.  At work, we run a Bambu X1C with 2 AMS units, an A1 with an AMS Lite, 2 A1 Mini's and a Snapmaker U1.  At home, I run two A1 Mini 3D printers, one having the AMS Lite.  In both situations we use multiple 5 Gallon buckets as our primary storage of opened filament.  While our filament demands at work are the greatest, even at home, I need eight buckets. Each bucket holds at least five spools of filament.

Up to now we had attempted to use erasable labels on the tops of the 5 gallon buckets.

Old Way - Erasble Labels to Locate Filament

While in theory that seemed like a good idea, in actual practice it was less than desirable. The core issue is just how difficult it is to write legibly on a recessed label... when you can actually find the marker when you need it.  Even if all the buckets have legible labels, it's more than a little effort to read through the list as we search through buckets.  It worked.  But, barely.

To be honest, we often just used the label to identify the type or make of filament stored; but, not the color.  And, that was more of an issue than we thought.  At work, for consistency across repeated runs of specific products we have standardized on Bambu filaments. While the RFID in Bambu Spools identifies the type of filament, there is nothing on a Bambu spool identifying the EXACT color. It turns out that it isn't so easy to identify Orange from Pumpkin Orange if you do not have both side-by-side to compare.  And, trying to identify transparent colors after-the-fact can be even trickier.

MarsWork ID Tags to the Rescuer! 

When  we found the Quick-Swap Spools from Marswork, we instantly realized how valuable the ID Tag system would be to us.  It would allow use to PRECISELY identify filament Maker, Type and Color in a way we had not been able to do previously.

MarsWork ID Tag on MarsWork Spool

We have decided to standardize on the Quick-Swap Spools for all future purchases of  refills both at work and home. These spools offer so many advantages over other refillable spools.  It is the only secure system we've found.   And, the only system that permits us to freely swap out refills as needed.  We've had spool failures with other systems in the past and it's no fun/

We have found that the most cost-effective way to obtain these quick-Swap spools is to purchase the 8 spool bundle available on Amazon.

 

MarsWork Quick-Swap 8 Spool Bundle

But, it also didn't take us long to realize that these same tags used with the Quick-Swap spools would be useful across our entire inventory.  So we designed a 3D printed hub mount for our existing Bambu inventory as well.  And, we have seen immediate benefits.  

Hub Mounting a MarsWork ID Tag for Precise Identify

 

We feed our Snapmaker U1 from a Sovol SH03 dryer, so there is no need to remove these hub inserts when mounted.  The same is true for the X1C which is fed from two AMS units.  For the A1 and A1 mini, we simple pop out the hub insert and keep it right by the printer while that color is loaded.  
 

Hub sitting on printer while filament is loaded

The capability to precisely identify the maker, type and color of every one of our spools of filament would have been an amazing step forward in our workflow.  But, MarsWork had one more surprise for us. 

The MarsWork Filament Management KIT: A True Game Changer

Shortly after finding the MarsWork Quick-Swap spools and the ID Tag Insert innovation we discovered another gem from Marswork... the Filament Management Kit.

Filament Management Kit.

The kit includes velcro straps, double-side RFID tape, a sheet of self-adhesive "loop" pads and 2 "hook" cards.  The latter two groups of items, along with the 3D printed ID tag Inserts available on MakersWorld, have turned out to be extremely important  for super-charging our workflow.

Using the Cards & ID Tags to Identify Filament Currently Mounted. 

The "hook" cards provide spaces, divided into columns and rows for attaching MarsWork ID Tags using the self-adhesive "loop" pads.

At both Work and Home, we marked one of the cards into sections identifying our 3D printers and dryers.  This example shows the home version, having an A1 Mini with AMS-Lite, an A1 Mini (Mono) and a Sunlu Dryer.

"In Use" Card Precisely Identifies Filament

For now, we are leaving the other columns open for future uses that might come to light.  For each of the filaments in our inventory, we are printing 6 ID tags. It takes 25-30 minutes per tag set.  We have created a special storage box for the un-used tags.

3D Printed Box of MarsWork ID Tags 

Using the Cards & ID Tags to Streamline Our Storage

The real benefits of finding the MarsWork Management Kt came next.  It did require our purchasing multiple kits to obtain the number of cards we needed.  I am hoping that MarsWork will offer the cards and pads in larger bundles in the future.  At home, we needed enough cards to identify and track filaments across 8 buckets.

We have abandoned our erasable label system with a MUCH better solution! 

Each card is organized into 4 columns and five rows.  Each bucket holds 5 spools of filament.  So, the first thing we did is identify each column on a card by it's related bucket.

Columns Idenfied by Related Bucket Number

In the above sample, each column instantly lets us know what is in buckets 2 through 4.  This card is updated as filament is removed or added.

We next cut a card into four cards, each having 5 rows.  We then replaced the erasable labels on the top of each bucket with one of these cut pieces.

Cut "Hook" card column attached to Bucket Top

 Now, not only can we instantly see what is in the bucket much easier than the old label system, we have a second reference immediately available at our desk.  There is no ambiguity and the process has become streamlined in a way that was not possible before.

Filament Easy Located in Multiple buckets 

 

It has now become super-fast to find the filament we need.  I think it should be obvious that color ID Tags with printed information is a lot easier to and faster to search than hand-written scrawls!  

This is just the beginning of discovering how we can streamline our filament handling using the Marswork ID Tag system.  As we build our library of tags, I can see it helping us to keep track of unopened new filament inventory and being able to remind us of colors we need to order.  In creating new ID tags I came across some colors I had previously used and forgotten high nicely they looked printed.

It would be helpful if MarsWork would expand on their Filament Management System by offering sets that included more master cards and sets of self-adhesive single column cards. I'm extremely pleased with what this system has managed to do for us both at work and at home.

Special Note: The value of the ID Tag System to PRECISELY identify COLOR cannot be overstated. We have already come across filaments we had misidentified because we had not documented the color when it was first opened,  The same is true for type and manufacturer in many cases.  

 

 

 

Quick-Swap Spool: A Filament Management System

We've come a long way in terms of new 3D technologies since this blog began more than a decade ago..

Perhaps, the biggest steps forward have come with the advent of multi-material and multi-color printing. Every day seems to bring us new steps forward toward full color 3D printing with FDM printers.  But, these new changes have also brought with them new demands on our filament management.  Gone are the days when we would simply load a filament and use that color until it ran out.

Multi-Material / Multi-Color Printing Requires Broader Inventory 

To maximize our new multi-material and multi-color capabilities, we find ourselves constantly swapping materials and colors.  Where in past years, we might have had four or five colors on hand we now find the need to maintain an inventory of dozens of colors of several different types of filament from a variety of vendors.  The cost of materials easily exceeds the cost of the printers.

Refillable Spools Lower Costs 

Not all new great ideas are limited to the latest 3D printers available to us.  They've also come with the accessories.  And, among the accessories we have come to appreciate most have to do with the introduction of refillable spools.  We have used a variety of refillable spools over the past year.  

The advent of refillable spools has helped lower the costs of having to maintain a large inventory of materials.  But, recently, we came across a new reusable spool that offers so much more. In fact, it has completely altered our storage and workflow in surprisingly useful ways.

MARSWORK Quick-Swap Reusable Spool System

The MarsWork Quick-Swap re-usable spool design is truly noteworthy in approach that goes way beyond any we're used in the past.  In fact, I am so impressed by the thoughtfulness that went into the design of these spools that I have to give the designers a special nod to their creativity and user focus.

MarsWork Quick-Swap Reusable Spool Features

 

Let's go over some of the unique features of the MarsWork Quck-Swap reusable spool system.

A. Spool Locking Mechanism

Most reusable spools reply on a twisting action to lock the spool halves together.  From experience, we know that this is not always foolproof.  The MarsWork locking mechanism is much more secure and, frankly, much easier to open and close reliably.  This feature, alone, would make this a stand-out design.  Bur, it doesn't stop there.

B. Easily Visible Filament Status

Wide openings and a marked filament guage make it very easy to quickly and accurately determine the color and status of the available filament.  This is in stark contrast with the reusable spools from Bambu and Inland.  Each refill from MarsWork comes with a sticker with markings that can be used to help determine type and quantity.

C. Built-in Filament Locking Slot.

While the Quick-Swap reusable spools retain the holes we have traditionally used to lock the ends of the filament when not in use, it goes one step beyond by providing a slot into which filament can be secured without harshly bending the material.  This is a nice touch that demonstrates the care that MarsWork engineers took in an effort to provide a little extra when it comes to user's experience.

D. Identification Tag Slot. 

This is a truly unique feature that turns the concept of a reusable spool into a true filament management system.  This slot is designed to accommodate 3D printed tags that can be customized by the user to quickly identify the loaded filament.  In our case, we create a tag for each material we load onto the spool with information about the type of material, the official color name and manufacturer.

 

While this, alone, is useful enough, there is another special capability provided by these tags.

Our current 3D printer complement includes a half dozen Bambu printers.   One of the benefits of Bambu filaments are the RFID tags that automatically select the correct printing profile for each filament.  As we finished spools of Bambu filament, we would throw away the RFID tags.  We no longer do that.

The print profiles of MarsWork PLA Basic and PLA Matte filaments are an exact match for the profiles of their Bambu equivalents.  MarsWork provides double-stick tape that allows us to attach the RFID tags from expended Bambu spools to the back of a 3D printed insert.  RFID tags from an expended Bambu Yellow spool has been taped to the back of the MarsWork PLA Basic Yellow insert in the above image. When this spool is loaded into an AMS or AMS Lite the material type and color will automatically be read by the Bambu system and the slicer will load the correct profile!

This is a hugely clever capability!   

But, I want to make it clear, one does not have to use RFID tags with these 3D printed inserts for them to be enormously useful.  Between filaments we use on a regular basis and filaments of unknown origin we have used once in the past, we probably have well over a hundred.  It's amazing how many filaments have no identifiable information once they have been removed from the original box. Had we printed out identifying tags listing specific type, official color and maker it would be a lot easier to include these filaments into our daily print routine.  

These inserts have another benefit.  We use them to capture the RGB values with a Datacolor ColorReaderEZ so that we know precisely what we have in our inventory using an Exel spreadsheet that includes a color swatch.   This helps us to compare available colors between manufacturers by the numbers rather than subjectively.

By the way, the usefulness of these 3D printed tag inserts applies both on and off the Quick-Swap spools!  

And, that brings us to another great feature of the Quick-Swap system.... the Quick-Swap.

The Quick-Swap Innovation

 To understand this last innovation from MarsWork, let's take a look at a filled spool.

The Quick-Swap Reusable spool hub is designed so that there are four spaces, or tunnels, created between the refill cardboard spool and the hub of the reusable spool.   Each reusable spool comes with four velcro straps.  These straps are run through these tunnels and then wrapped around the filament to secure it so that it can be safely removed no matter how much remains on the cardboard hub.  

 

Hence the description of "Quick-Swap"/

This feature can only become even more valuable as more varieties of filament are released as refills.  We don't print huge quantities of objects requiring specialty filaments like 'sparkle' or 'color-changing'.  But, they can be useful every now and then.  Being able to safely and compactly store these filaments on their original cardboard hubs while freeing up valuable reusable spools for more frequently used materials definitely provides some benefit.

By the way, along with the velcro straps, adhesive velcro patches are also provided that can be attached to the 3D printed color identifier inserts we mentioned above.  This allows the identifier insert to be attached to the refill spool so that it retains all of its identifying information, ready to be used in the future.   An added benefit is that filament off of the spool is much more compact to store.

Proof of Intention

I didn't find this next item until after I had already concluded that the MarsWork Quick-Swap Reusable spool was going to become an important part of our filament management strategies from this point on.  MarsWork actually has sells a companion "Filament Management Kit" for their reusable spools.  It includes 80 hook and loop straps, RFID Tag stickers, labels and a color card organizer for managing filament inventory.   .

MarsWork Filament Management Kit

 

  

MarsWork Color Organizer

I was very happy to see that this kit was available as it's going to allow us to quickly port our inventory of refills from Bambu and Inland over to the MarsWork Quick-Swap system.  It remains to be seen how we can best use the color organizer, for loaded colors or out of inventory colors, I'm sure it will be helpful.

All of these features combine to create the basis for a highly efficient and effective filament management system that optimizes both storage and use.  I am amazed by the detailed thought processes that went into taking what we normally would consider a simple utilitarian product into something much, much more.  By paying close attention to the needs of the user, MarsWork has brought us a uniquely useful system.

It's impressive. Very impressive!