Sounds like an application for print farms.
If the tag is read-only, it can allow:
- marginally better loading, as the printer can heat the nozzle correctly for that filament without input from the user.
- Comparing a G-code file to the loaded filament, either to throw a filament mismatch error, or to adjust temperature settings on the fly.
- Allow slicer software with a network or serial attachment to the printer sense what filament is loaded
If the tag is writable, it can allow for keeping track of how much filament remains on the spool, by writing how much was consumed during each print. This means, when you get to the end of the spool, the printer can warn you if there isn’t enough filament remaining without having to manually track the mass of the spool.
icelimit@lemmy.ml 3 weeks ago
captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
I see it as useful for some rando with a printer as well. If you’ve got a printer to make little dinosaurs for your kid or the occasional curtain rod bracket, that little warning “this gcode file was sliced for ABS, but you’ve got PETG loaded. You sure?” or “There’s only 177 grams left on this spool, this print will take 190.” can be helpful.
icelimit@lemmy.ml 3 weeks ago
I already get a warning for the first part - printer already known what I’ve loaded because I’ve told it. It knows what is currently loaded and can compare against gcode. Of course I could’ve made the mistake of telling it the wrong material when I loaded it, and that’s on me.
Gladaed@feddit.org 3 weeks ago
Why does the holder not just weigh the spool? Should be a better estimate of remaining filament as it does not rely on perfect bookkeeping.
captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
If you mean, why not install a load cell in the spool holder instead of an RFID reader, well…
I just happen to have four empty 1kg spools lying around, because I’m a total packrat. Let’s weigh them:
So that’s a range of 89 grams, out of just four spools. And these are all visually similar 1kg black plastic spools. I’ve seen skeletonized spools that tried to reduce plastic, I’ve seen cardboard spools, and I’ve seen spools of different sizes. How is a printer supposed to tell a mostly empty 2.5kg spool from a full 1kg one?
Then…What happens if you load one new spool, use some of it, unload it, use a different spool for awhile, then switch back to the first? Will you have to manually key in a tare weight for that first spool?
If you install a load cell in addition to an RFID reader, well then the spool’s RFID chip could store the weight of the spool, the initial weight of the filament loaded, and the weight of the remaining filament, and the printer could weigh the spool to verify that, which could catch and correct errors caused by oozing, miscalculation, using the spool on another printer, having to cancel a job mid-run because of a problem, etc. I’d kind of like this for reloadable spools. Somebody is coming up with split spools that you can buy just the filament for, and then you could reload the spool with another load of the same filament, and a printer with a load cell could automatically weigh and recalibrate a reloaded spool including an updated tare weight.
All told though, given how much it matters, I’d be fine with the dead reckoning approach done by the slicer. I mean, my personal 3D printer just turned 11, it has no auto bed leveling system, no filament runout sensor, no auto loading system, hell I haven’t updated the firmware since Barack was president, and I’m in the habit of running one spool all the way empty, and just shoving in the start of the next spool as the printer runs. I’ve done that for two-color signage and such, something with colored raised lettering on a white background or something. You can get away with shit on a primitive old clanker like mine that the newfangled units won’t put up with.
Sprocketfree@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
I enjoyed this engineering talk