Cardboard Spools in Bambu Labs AMS: Risks and Remedies 

Won’t lie I’ve been printing with cardboard for the last past two months 😮😮😮 I usually just put a strip of tape around the cardboard and that keeps it going long enough till it runs out

On my AMS esun, polymaker, polyterra and inland all fit with the lid shut using most spool rings that just got along the rim. Have never had any issues with it.

I tried respooling quite a few rolls of filament, and alot of them ended up breaking the filament. Not during the respooling process itself, but after a few days. Reason being that the innermost filament on the cardboard-spool is wound tighter than the outer layers. When you respool ie. bringing the outer layers to the inside and vice versa. You introduce unwanted stress into the filament. And in my case having to deal with a alot of filament breaking mid-prints. I also tried using tires, but getting the exact size was tricky, and sometimes the tiny bump created by the seam when printing the tire, caused the spool not to spin properly I ended up just using all my cardboard spools that i had in stock, and then buying filament directly from Bambu instead. They are actually quite pricecompetitive as long as you buy more than 4 rolls at the time

Thanks for this info on the spool desicant holder hubs... i hadnt seen these and they def solve a problem im having!

🤗 I use tape on the edge of the cadbord spool, it works for me.....

I’ve been using cardboard spools in my AMS since day one, over a year ago without any of the issues mentioned. I put a layer of electrical tape on the edges. Takes less than 2 minutes.

I've ended up putting a Polymaker PolyTerra PLA+ on a used Bambulab spool. I've practically ripped the Polymaker spool, and fitted onto the other spool using an adapter printed before. I've tried to use the tyre solution for cardboard spools, but the friction was too much

Ripping the sides off and replacing it with a bambu spool has been working great for me. Just do one side at a time and tape the filament down before hand.

I’ve found just painting the rims of the spools with clear nail polish is quick and works really well. I’ve used printed rims but the exact size is very fussy. (I haven’t done any printing in TPU yet, a slightly stretchy tire could make them more adaptable. Nail polish works great :-)

I've been using them in the AMS for 2 years now, about 200 spools/year (eSun and others), zero problems. YMMV

I have been using a lot of Elegoo filament that comes on cardboard spools, they have the edges sealed so the cardboard should not loose particles when used directly in the AMS. Unfortunately, their perfectly wound spools that look so nice and neat only work for up to about 2/3 of a spool for me before the filament can't be pulled from the spool, not because of a tangle but because it is just too tight on the spool. This has happened to me several times in both of my AMS units. I have even had a spool being fed from my S2 filament dryer directly to the printer without the AMS and I found the spool stuck to the top of the dryer and the print head moving around without extruding any filament, The extruder just could not pull hard enough to get the filament off of the spool, I had to pull very hard to get the filament loose from the spool. After so many issues, I now re-spool every spool that I get from Elegoo. I have a re-spooler with an attached motor so I set up the spools, turn on the motor and I can walk away and do other things while it's re-spooling. I find not having to stand there with a drill to do the re-spool so much more convenient. The re-spooled filament may not look as neat as the Elegoo spools but they work so much better, I have not had any issues related to re-spooled filament, they have been very reliable in the AMS.

You could try using Gorilla tape on the outside.

take a shot everytime he points too and says AMS!

1st

I have ZERO issues with carboard spools just as they are. Bambu doesnt want you too just so you buy their stupid chipped filament spools