Open Standard for 3D Printing Filament Spools - Campaign

[The_Critter]

I've been noticing that this campaign for making an open standard for filament spools has been gaining some traction. Basically the idea is to have the entire 3D printing community come up with a standard size for filament spools. This would make so much stuff within the industry a lot easier. If you look at all the filament out there on the market, the spools (if it even comes on a spool) are all different sizes. The 'Mount Hole Diameter', the 'Inner Coil Diameter', and 'Outer Size Diameter' come in all different sizes. The campaign aims to create one standard for all filament manufacturers, and all 3D printers.

Check out some of the different sizes:



There are major problems, where it's impossible to find 2 filament brands that can be interchangable with one another. Do you guys think that we will ever reach a point where this changes? It would be so beneficial to the industry in my opinion. However, while filament makers, and people that use FDM 3D printers would love it, I don't know if the 3D printer manufacturers would. This prevents them from basically force feeding their own brand filament to the people that buy their printers.

It seems like the majority of people that own 3D printers support this idea, as do filament manufacturers. It's just about getting printer manufacturers on board. I think that will be a major accomplishment for this campaign, if we could get companies like 3D Sys and Makerbot on board.

Anyhow, please share your thoughts on this, and what you think we could do to help spread the word of this campaign!

[eveninggown]

I don't know if we really "need" an open standard for filament. Heck, if you look at 2D printers, there is not open standard for toner and ink cartridges. It may just be one of those things, where there are a ton of different filament options now, but in the future when competition eliminates all the smaller 3D printer manufacturers and filament manufacturers, there will be a lot less. I don't think there will be more than 5 3D printer manufacturers and more than a dozen filament manufacturers in 10 years from now. It's how industry works. There will be buyouts, mergers, etc, forcing the small companies out of business. Economies of scale will greatly reduce the prices of filament and printers, as the large companies like Makerbot / 3d systems mass produce, and create printers and filament at a fraction of the costs that the smaller companies can.

[WildZBill]

Wouldn't it be nice if a printer company offered inexpensive filament of every color on rolls that fit their inexpensive machine (with a DIY kit option)? With inexpensive hardware upgrades available? With service and training available at a local hackerspace?

[Bradley]

I don't think there will be more than 5 3D printer manufacturers and more than a dozen filament manufacturers in 10 years from now. It's how industry works.

That's how industry works now due to economies of scale and globalization. Aren't 3D printers supposed to be part of the next industrial revolution?

In the meantime, standardization makes a lot of sense because a bad spool can ruin a print.

[Compro01]

I suspect we'll fall prey to this.

[Luv2Fight]

Wouldn't it be nice if a printer company offered inexpensive filament of every color on rolls that fit their inexpensive machine (with a DIY kit option)? With inexpensive hardware upgrades available? With service and training available at a local hackerspace?

It would be nice, but that is not how companies make money unfortunately. These are corporations that are trying to make as much profit as possible. Making cheap filament and cheap hardware probably wouldn't be in their best interest.

[intohim]

It would definitely make our lives and filament maker's lives a lot easier, but I think this will be something that will be virtually impossible to coordinate. There will always be some big companies unwilling to cooperate, thus it will never fully take shape. Same reason why Apple won't ever run Android apps, and vice versa.

[LambdaFF]

I think that one of the latest post from RichRap is a good point : we don't necessarily need to define a full compliance system but at least a few minimum parameters.
Say : min interior spool diameter for the rotation axis and min diameter for filament...

[3dprintingassociation]

We at The 3D Printing Association are supporting The Campaign for a Universal Spool Standard, we hope to have an update in our next newsletter but are keen to get your views, we posted an update regarding the month long campaign HERE earlier today
The Campaign was initiated earlier this year by Richard Horne author of 3D Printing for Dummies and a well respected figure in the RepRap community.

If you get chance to take a look and comment it would be appreciated.

[pardonme]

Very interesting. I just don't see it happening. For the same reason that there is no open standard for 2D printer ink cartridges. It'll be a way for companies to make money, especially in the future.