Problem Statement

One of the issues I have seen is filament pushing through the coiling device. The Filament Buffer is a better coiling solution than the tray arms but with both some filaments are bad about pushing through back to the spool without coiling.

Solution

I created a small sleeve with a slightly twisted path that adds a very small amount of resistance. This helps stop the filament from pushing back through to the spool and it coils in the buffer like it should.

Color Coding

I decided to use different colors for printing the five resistor as an identifier. Then I created a sleeve that slide over the bowden tube between the buffer and MMU to identify the tube. I decided to put a second sleeve on the tube next to the MMU as well.

The color coding made loading filaments easier but the MMU sleeves were only visible from the back so I created small panels that attach to the MMU.

Final Results

• The Resistor encourages coiling in the buffer and is a significant improvement
• The color coding at the top and bottom of the buffer assist in filament loading
• The color coding from Spool to Extruder makes it visually clear which filament goes to which extruder

Summary

Working with five filaments at the same time requires continual coordination. Color coding the filament path is simple and with just a glance you can see which filament is being extruded. This saves time and helps prevent printing mistakes.

If you are using the Filament Buffer and have experienced the filament pushing through the buffer then you will appreciate the difference the Resistor makes. If you don't want to use the Resistor, use a sleeve instead.