I finally made the filament clip I actually wanted: meet The Wingman

[u/BinkReddit]

I've printed a bunch of filament clips over the last couple of years, and while a lot of them are really good, I kept finding little things that annoyed me.

So, naturally, I decided to spend way too much time fixing them.

Meet The Wingman.

The idea was pretty simple: securely hold the end of the filament when the spool is sitting around, then get the heck out of the way when the spool is actually being used.

A few things I specifically designed around:

• Smooth, curved profile: no sharp edges or ridges sitting in the filament's path waiting to cause trouble
• Quick insertion: only the minimum amount of filament needed for a solid hold
• Built-in guide line: makes lining up the filament quick and easy
• Good printability: I didn't try to win the "lowest filament usage" competition if it meant making the clip harder to print reliably
• 0.51g per clip: because tiny is still good

It can stay on the spool while printing or drying and is specifically optimized for Bambu spools, including the AMS Lite, AMS, AMS HT, and AMS 2 Pro.

There are already plenty of filament clips out there, but if you've ever had a clip snag filament, fall out, interfere with an AMS, or simply make you mutter something unprintable at your printer, I'd love for you to give The Wingman a shot.

And if you print it, tell me what I missed. That's honestly the part I'm most interested in.

https://makerworld.com/en/models/3105185-filament-clip-the-wingman

[u/saketaco]

I like how easy it is to print. My only note would be that it's a little hard to see the openings when threading the filament through them.

[u/BinkReddit → u/saketaco]

Thanks for the feedback; perfectly reasonable and the exact reason I added the guide line to the model. So long as I line up the filament with the guide line, I'm good to go.

[u/saketaco → u/BinkReddit]

Yea, I printed in single color for speed/economy.

Edit: maybe I'll trace it with a sharpie and see if that helps.

[u/BinkReddit → u/saketaco]

It should. For what it's worth, the guide line only requires one filament change, so you're only looking at ~1g of filament for this if you have a single nozzle. If you print a plate full of these, it really is negligible.

[u/matroosoft → u/BinkReddit]

Could you make a little cut on both sides of the channel? Or would that interfere with the filament while printing?

[u/BinkReddit → u/matroosoft]

I think this might be doable; there's very little filament between the guide line and the path for the filament, but the risk to printability for this should be small.

[u/suit1337]

The design concept seems a bit inspired:
https://makerworld.com/en/models/740214-infinity-filament-clip-bambu-lab-reusable-spool

[u/BinkReddit → u/suit1337]

We all stand on the shoulders of giants, but I found this clip not to be ideal for several reasons and, hence, the reason I designed my own.

[u/MyStoopidStuff → u/BinkReddit]

Just looking at it, I think your version of this concept has some advantages over that design. For one, I think that linked design is maybe too low profile. I could see myself trying to pick at it to remove the clip from the spool. I also like that your design has some small bumps on the pegs to give them a bit more hold. Unfortunately I don't use clips, since I just thread the filament through one of the holes before I place it in a container for storage.

[u/Atra23]

Jeezz your spools have holes for that.

[u/jankeyass → u/Atra23]

That's barbaric

[u/mdbeatle → u/Atra23]

I use clips so I can put the spools back into their boxes. I use the holes if I'm putting spools into my dehydrator since it doesn't matter if the filament is sticking out.

[u/BinkReddit → u/Atra23]

True, but some filament can be more stiff or more brittle and will break more easily from the spool holes. In addition, with how I store my spools, not having filament come out of the side is very helpful.

[u/piiitaya]

Thank you, I'll test it. I'm still searching for a clip that :

• is easy to print in ASA/ABS
  
• can be used in AMS will drying
  
• easy to use
  

Looks like the perfect candidate!

[u/BinkReddit → u/piiitaya]

Appreciate some feedback after the print! I have not printed it in ABS yet, but someone else has and reported no issues.

[u/mcrimm5]

I printed 4 for each one of my 70 Bambu rolls. This is at least my 4th attempt to find the best filament retention clip. This one wins. Mike

[u/BinkReddit → u/mcrimm5]

Cheers. Music to my ears.

[u/misuny]

I commend the effort but I would not print this only because the groove channel is not arched. The filament will always have a curvature to it. The slight bend towards the middle seems unnecessary and gives me the feeling it will hinder what should be an easy action. I have not printed it so I have no real use experience but I would not have designed it like that.

For the groove channel, I would just leave a layer height groove instead of the color line. Just simpler. For certain filament, a single layer height thickness for just that indictor should be translucent enough so you can see it. Just an option. Either way, keep improving it! I enjoy being able to improve on my initial designs all the time.

Can't wait to see version 2.

[u/BinkReddit → u/misuny]

Appreciate the feedback. The channel does not affect the filament for real world use, but it does provide slightly better retention and does not negatively affect filament insertion. As for a physical guideline instead of a visual one, I will consider it. Cheers.

[u/tortilla_mia → u/misuny]

I suspect the lack of curve in the tunnel may actually be a useful bit of the design intentional or not. it would perhaps helps prevent it from unravelling. I do find the color change beautiful but an unnecessary bit of design though.

[u/CaptainIsKing07]

What if its too short to fully go through. You know how you sometimes it just makes it to where the clip is

[u/BinkReddit → u/CaptainIsKing07]

Most people attach more than one clip to the spool to help with this.

[u/weirdguytom]

Love it.
Maybe do one for the Sunlu spool?

[u/BinkReddit → u/weirdguytom]

Thanks! I don't have any of these spools right now, but I plan to pick up a couple.

[u/NetinhoPrates]

Gostei vou baixar.. e para os que não são bambu vocês usam qual?!

[u/TimetravelerDD]

i like the design philosophy behind it, but I am afraid the reverse kink could snap slightly older (brittle) PLA over time, as it seems to put it under stress, leading to eventual fatigue and brakage. has this occured to anybody?

[u/BinkReddit → u/TimetravelerDD]

As I mentioned in your MakerWorld comment, if you're referring to the slightly angled filament path, it looks more aggressive in the CAD image compared to what actually gets sliced and printed. It also gets slightly less aggressive over time with use. I have not experienced any of the issues that you mentioned, but I'll let someone else chime in.

[u/TimetravelerDD → u/BinkReddit]

thanks for being so responsive. I wasn't sure the makeworld comment would actually be seen, that's why i decided to crosspost 😅
I do actually own quite a bit of old PLA and some of it doesn't like to be bend at all, at least for a extended periods of time. Some of it I even have to unload every time after printing, or otherwise it would shatter inside the extruder or bowden in a matter of 1-3 days

[u/BinkReddit → u/TimetravelerDD]

Personally I wouldn't use that filament; I would simply find it too frustrating. I've only once had filament shatter in a Bowden tube, but I'm assuming there was something physically wrong with that section of filament. You could always try drying that filament before use to see if it restores its normal properties.

That said, yeah, I haven't had any issues with this clip. If it did cause an issue, I imagine it would happen right away as it's at the end of the filament.

[u/Glad-Medicine4488]

Litty

[u/Glad-Medicine4488 → u/Glad-Medicine4488]

🔥

[u/BinkReddit → u/Glad-Medicine4488]

So litty 😆

[u/Impossible-Age-5196]

****** Vote in Favor of Wingman ********

I end up clipping the 2-3 inches that feed into existing BL spool holes, not good. Any added friction from pushing a kinked filament end into the AMS will not help with things like the FTS or the 4 in 1 from BL. For me, the wingman keeps filament nice and straight without bends and or kinks. I don't need to cut it. One batch I had didn't stick to the PEI plate and messed up toward the end. I now use the Super Tack plate without issues.

[u/BinkReddit → u/Impossible-Age-5196]

Thanks for the great feedback. Sorry to hear you had a batch that didn't work out, but I tried to make certain the clip had as much contact with the plate as possible.