Introduction to Filament Spools and Refills

In general, filament comes wound on a plastic spool. A filament spool can be installed on the spool holder at the back of the machine, or onto the AMS lite (if you are using one).

While it is very convenient to have filament come wound on a spool, once you use up a few rolls of filament, you will start to accumulate the left over plastic spools. Unfortunately, these spools are not very useful and usually need to be discarded or recycled.

We thought of that, and Bambu Lab filament comes with a two-piece plastic spool that can be reused with Filament Refills.

Filament refills are, as the name implies, ways to refill the same spool with new filament. They come in a roll, ready to be easily transferred to the reusable spool. The process takes about one minute, and while it is an extra step, it will save you a bit of money as it is cheaper than regular filament. It also helps save on plastic waste since a single-use spool might be discarded instead of recycled.

We recommend buying a few spools of filament that come with the plastic spool. Once you have enough plastic spools, you can start ordering the refill filament and reusing the existing ones.

How to install the filament refill on the plastic spool

Start by twisting the spool apart, as shown in the image:

Next, align the plastic notch with the small cutout on the side of the filament refill and insert the refill. It is next to where the RFID tag is.

Once aligned, put the two sides of the spool together and spin the sides until you hear a click.

Finally, remove the plastic tabs holding the filament, and apply the sticker on the side of the spool.

That’s it! You are now ready to start printing.

A video guide is also available below to better explain the process: