When it comes to 3D printing filament spools, the size can vary slightly depending on where they are manufactured.
In the USA, where the imperial system is standard, 1kg filament spools are often made with an 8-inch diameter, which equals approximately 203.2 millimeters. In China, where the metric system is used, 1kg filament spools typically have a diameter of 200 millimeters.
While the difference might seem small, this 3.2mm difference can sometimes affect how the spools fit in 3D printers and multi-material feeding systems designed specifically for metric spool sizes.
Another complicating factor is spools made by U.S. based manufacturers were not designed for 3D printing filament. Instead, these spools were originally made for other purposes, such as holding electrical wire, cable, or similar materials. The use of these spools for 3D printing filament is a relatively niche application, and because of this, there has been little incentive for U.S. manufacturers to retool their factories to produce spools specifically for filament, or to switch from the imperial system to metric measurements.
As 3D printing grows in popularity, it may encourage more standardization, but for now, U.S. spool manufacturers have little motivation to adapt their existing spool designs just for filament. This means that most U.S. based 3D printing filament manufacturers, like us, have a hard time finding a U.S. made spool that is compatible with popular 3D printing technology that was designed and manufactured to metric specifications.
We are dedicated to sourcing our materials from U.S. sources, so we are continuing to search for a solution. In the meantime, we have found a U.S. made spool that is made to a metric standard, but unfortunately it does not quite have enough space to hold a full 1kg of material. We call it our “universal” spool. It is close to what we need, but not the final solution.
If you need filament wound onto a metric universal spool for use in a system like the Bambu Labs AMS, please contact us at sales@pushplastic.com and we can tell you more specifically, based on the material, how much we can fit on the spool and price it out for you accordingly.
Alternatively, there is a nice modification available for the Bambu Labs AMS called the Hydra AMS that will open up its compatibility to a much broader selection of U.S. made filament spools, including our standard 1kg spools.
