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.

Tags: 
projects
filament splicer

57889 Comments

Anonymous

JacobTib (not verified)

on

Tue, 09/30/2025 - 22:03

Как хорошо, что вы показываете разные форматы букетов! Выбрала розы в корзине на День матери - удобно и красиво!
<a href=https://t.me/cvetaevatomskru/410>доставка цветов</a>

Anonymous

JacobTib (not verified)

on

Tue, 09/30/2025 - 22:03

Как хорошо, что вы ведете прямые эфиры с флористами! Узнала много полезного и заказала идеальные розы на 8 Марта!
<a href=https://t.me/cvetaevatomskru/344>розы томск</a>

Anonymous

DanielDum (not verified)

on

Tue, 09/30/2025 - 23:16

[b]Picture[/b] coming home to find flood creeping into the rooms, belongings, and family treasures.
[b]It’s overwhelming[/b] — but you don’t need to handle it by yourself.
[b]We’re here to protect[/b] your house and loved ones’ well-being, working swiftly and safely to contain the problem at once. Our team works with gentleness and protection, helping recover your space and your comfort.
[b]We help you[/b] avoid mildew and hidden damage, protecting the comfort of your home. And with our 24/7 support, you’re never without help when it matters most — we’re just a call away!
[b][u]Call - 8338561951 and professionals will help you![/u][/b]

Anonymous

whirlflameotter... (not verified)

on

Tue, 09/30/2025 - 23:50

J’adore le flux de RollBit Casino, est un tourbillon de divertissement qui pixelise. Il y a une cascade de jeux de casino captivants. comprenant des jeux de casino adaptes aux cryptomonnaies. Le service client du casino est un bit maitre. offrant des solutions claires et instantanees. Le processus du casino est transparent et sans glitch. parfois des bonus de casino plus frequents seraient numeriques. Pour resumer, RollBit Casino enchante avec une rhapsodie de jeux pour les codeurs du casino! Ajoutons le site du casino est une merveille graphique structuree. facilite une experience de casino bit par bit.
<a href=https://trg.unhas.ac.id/aemt/2025/09/11/comment-la-theorie-des-probabili... fiable</a>|

Anonymous

flickerzippyowl... (not verified)

on

Tue, 09/30/2025 - 23:50

Sou louco pela chama de DonaldBet Casino, tem um ritmo de jogo que danca como um acrobata. As opcoes sao ricas e reluzem como malabares. incluindo jogos de mesa com um toque de circo. O atendimento e solido como uma lona. com ajuda que ilumina como um refletor. Os ganhos chegam rapido como um palhaco. porem mais bonus seriam um diferencial acrobatico. Para encurtar, DonaldBet Casino e um cassino online que e um circo de diversao para os exploradores de jogos online! Por sinal o site e uma obra-prima de estilo vibrante. tornando cada sessao ainda mais vibrante.
<a href=https://unocleaning.com/como-as-probabilidades-transformam-sua-experienc... conta donaldbet</a>|

Anonymous

BrandonHup (not verified)

on

Tue, 09/30/2025 - 23:56

<a href=https://tripscan.ac/>tripscan трипскан</a> TripScan войти: Добро пожаловать в личный кабинет TripScan! Войдите в свою учетную запись, чтобы управлять своими бронированиями, просматривать историю поездок и получать эксклюзивные предложения. Мы поможем вам спланировать ваше следующее приключение, учитывая все ваши потребности и пожелания. TripScan – ваш надежный партнер в мире путешествий. tripscan войти

Pages

Add your comment

More information about text formats

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.