Filament Splicer

Project cancelled, click here to read why
The idea for Filament Splicer was born about a month after our Ultimaker 3D Printer was build. As cool as 3D Printing is, printing in one color is boring.

Users of normal, single head FFF/FDM printers are stuck with single color unless they join filament pieces together to produce one multi-colored string. It is not very complicated but process is quite awkward and you will get fed up very quickly.

If you want to have proper, stable filament join you need to have right temperature on the tip of plastic when you connect pieces together. This is hard to achieve when you use some arbitrary heat source. You either underheat or overheat and burn the plastic. Using print head of your printer is best 'ad-hoc' solution but it leaves quite a mess on it, you cannot print when you splice and plastic which is in the head slowly gets burned while you take time to splice your string.

Then, of course there is issue with forming of the joint, carpet knife and fingers where our favorite tools for that job but it took quite a long time to form each joint.

We have had our share of failed prints due to broken joints / stuck filament and finally decided to create a device which will help to splice filament. Initial idea was to create fully automated unit: you place filament ends on copper block, close it, push the button and viola - you have your joint. That was the theory.... In practice this is impossible because PLA and ABS expand during heat-up and contract during cool down, this results in either no joint at all or bubble-filled mess.

Many headache filled days [Even best PLA is really nasty stuff when you breath it in for a while] later we dropped the idea and went for 'open' model with precisely manufactured grooves which help to quickly heat up, connect and form joints.

Thermal insulation was another challenge, we wanted to allow up to 260c temperature but nothing could properly insulate enclosure from hot copper block for prolonged period of time. Ceramic fiber thermal tape can take that heat but one needs a lot of it and then there is itching... Chinese tape is horrible and even best branded, made in USA [ThermoTec] tape is not flawless. We eventually gave up on ceramic fibre and went with PFTA [Teflon] plates. Since PFTA can be outright poisonous at high temperatures, we decided to use high quality - made in Europe material - this way we are sure that maximum temperature of 235c is well within safety limit.

Availability

Filament splicer can be pre-ordered via our campaign on Indiegogo, it is available as a DIY kit or fully assembled unit.

 

Assembled
Assembled
Kit
Kit

 

Open Source

Filament splicer blueprints are released under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and can be downloaded from Thingiverse and Youmagine.

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filament splicer

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Disney made a smart choice’
Despite the comparisons, Abu Dhabi isn’t positioning itself as a direct rival to Orlando — it’s aiming to be something more. The emirate sees its theme parks as part of a bigger portfolio of attractions, alongside cultural landmarks, luxury hotels, pristine beaches, and desert adventures.
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A 15-minute drive from Yas Island, Saadiyat Island is home to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, a franchised outpost of the famous Paris art museum, which welcomed 1.4 million visitors last year, 84% from abroad. The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and Zayed National Museum are both under construction, adding to a cultural district that will be one of the region’s most concentrated hubs of art and heritage.

“Abu Dhabi’s unique appeal lies in the diversity of our tourism offering,” Al Geziry added. “For thrill-seekers, we have record-breaking roller coasters and dune bashing in the desert. For culture lovers, historic sites like Al Ain Oasis and institutions like the Saadiyat museums. And for luxury travelers, world-class dining, private island resorts, and high-end shopping.

“Where else can you start your day under the Louvre’s iconic rain-of-light dome and end it in the immersive, story-driven worlds of Warner Bros. World or Ferrari World?”
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Still, not everyone is convinced that Disney’s expansion into the Middle East is a sure bet.

“The region has seen its share of false starts,” says Dennis Speigel, founder of the International Theme Park Services consultancy, comparing it to neighboring Dubai’s patchy record with theme park expansion ambitions in the mid-2010s. “Several of them struggled for profitability in their first decade.”

Related article
Saadiyat Cultural District in Abu Dhabi is set to become one of the world’s preeminent arts and culture hubs, with one of the highest concentrations of cultural institutions globally. But the area isn’t just for art connoisseurs. Explore what to do in the new district, from iconic museums to luxurious beach days to decadent dining options.
You can walk between the Louvre and the Guggenheim in this new art district

Spiegel believes Abu Dhabi is different. “Disney made a smart choice. The infrastructure, safety, and existing leisure developments create an ideal entry point,” he told CNN earlier this year. “It’s a much more controlled and calculated move.”

Under its Tourism Strategy 2030, Abu Dhabi aims to grow annual visitors from 24 million in 2023 to more than 39 million by the end of the decade. With Disneyland as a centerpiece, those targets may well be surpassed. The city’s population has already grown from 2.7 million in 2014 to more than 4.1 million today, a reflection of its rising profile as a regional hub.

Yas Island alone has been transformed in the space of a decade from a largely undeveloped stretch of sand to a self-contained resort destination, complete with golf courses, marinas, a mall, more than 160 restaurants, and a cluster of high-end hotels.

Orlando’s head start remains formidable — it still offers multiple Disney and Universal parks, has decades of brand loyalty, and an infrastructure built to handle tens of millions of tourists annually.

But Abu Dhabi is catching up fast. Its combination of frictionless travel, year-round comfort, cutting-edge attractions, and a cultural scene that adds depth to the experience gives Abu Dhabi its own unique selling point, potentially offering a model for the next generation of theme park capital.

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