Tips to Avoid Wasting Filament

When your 3D filament runs out faster than you can say, “Makers gonna make,” it’s time to consider how much filament you might be wasting in each print. No matter if your 3D printer is your hobby pal or a job, we could all reduce filament usage while keeping the strength and durability of our printed parts. While every Maker will have their own methods of reducing filament waste, the following tips mentioned in this blog post are some of the methods we regularly make use of.


Infill Percentage & Type

Infill percentage dictates how much of your print’s internal structure is filled with material. Some believe more infill makes stronger prints, but that’s a common mistake. The type and shape of the infill is really where your prints get their strength. Choose the pattern that gives your model the greatest internal support for its unique function. Resisting the urge to up the infill percentage for no real benefit makes this one of the best ways to reduce filament usage in prints. Different slicers also have different infill pattern options. One of our 2019 Facebook posts shows some of our favourite infill patterns for strong prints depending on the application.

Lower Infill: Less filament usage.
Higher Infill: More filament usage.

Wall/Perimeter Thickness

Wall/perimeter thickness is how thick the shell of your print will be. Adjusting the thickness will change how many times the nozzle travels around the outside of your print. Higher thickness will result in a stronger print but uses more filament. Lower thickness means weaker prints, but less filament is used. It is important to scale your wall thickness usage together with your infill percentage to achieve a well-balanced print and use the least amount of filament.

Lower Thickness: Weaker print but less filament used.
Higher Thickness: Stronger print but more filament used.

Top/Bottom Layers

Adjusting the number of top and bottom layers is a good way to manage the amount of filament required for your print. Bottom layers are the number of solid layers done at the start of a print. Top layers are the number of solid layers done at the end (top of) a print. As with wall thickness, the number of top or bottom layers depends on the infill settings used. Depending on the design of the print and infill percentage, you will likely need fewer bottom layers compared to top layers. But beware, top layers are prone to pillowing if you have a lower top layer and lower infill percentage set.

Fewer Layers: Decreased filament usage.
More Layers: Increased filament usage.

Supports

Supports are structures generated by the slicer software that provide a support surface for overhanging parts of your print. They are most important for  stray tentacles, arrow tips, or any parts of your models that would print in the air or at an extreme angle. But, using supports increases print time and filament usage. Only using supports when needed is a good way to reduce filament waste. Most slicers offer a variety of support settings for this, and some can generate different support styles, such as tree supports. Delete the supports you don’t need and adjust when, where, and what kind of supports are generated to suit your prints.

Less Supports: Reduced filament usage.
More Supports: Increased filament usage.

Layer Height

Layer height is how thick each layer of your print is, and it has a big impact on the quality of your print. It can also help you save a bit of filament. Compared to the other options mentioned above, the difference is less significant. Thinner layer heights, such as 0.1mm, are great for detailed prints but will take longer to complete the print. Thicker layer height, such as 0.3mm and above, will print faster but will be less detailed. Some slicers allow you to use dynamic layer height. Adjust for different sections of your print and keep in mind what best suits the function of the print, as this can impact what layer height is needed.

Thinner Layer Height: Less filament used, longer print time, and better detail.
Thicker Layer Height: More filament used, shorter print times, and less detail.

Joining Old Filament

Any 3D printing Maker will know what it’s like to reach the last bit of filament on a spool and not have enough left over for anything useful. We hate having no use for that last bit of filament. So, finding ways to still print those last strands can help save filament. Some Makers use near-finished spools for the start of a print with a new spool of filament ready to feed in as the first bit is used. If done correctly, you won’t have issues with your print. However, the downside is you need to closely monitor your print to make the swap seamless. Another option is to get a machine like the SunLu Filament Connector FC01 which allows you to join strands of filament together. There are quite a few other methods, and if you are looking for a dive into each, then check out this filament welding article by All3DP.

(Image by SunLu)


Below we have included a video we made in 2019 addressing this topic.


We would love to hear what methods you use to save filament in the comments below. You can join the amazing DIY Community Discord or Forum and keep up to date with all things DIYElectronics by checking out our social media, FacebookInstagramTikTok, and X (formerly Twitter). If you want to check out our store, click this link.

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