He slowly turned around and looked at the remaining materials on the pile of materials in the corner. He secretly rejoiced: this time he was finally saved.
Just now, Sanlu officially launched the first 3D printing filament splicer FC01, which is a compact device capable of fusing two pieces of filament together. If you’re like me and often use a 3D printer for various productions, you may have a dozen or more unused filament spools on hand. This is the importance of this consumables splicer: it can splice these residues with one click through simple operations, which not only effectively reduces material waste, but also saves material costs . More importantly, the welded material can also be used for multi-color printing to achieve richer creative effects.
advantage:
Simple, practical and easy to transport
Efficient welding and easy operation
default:
Perfect splicing requires some experience
Equipment parameters:
Product size: 111×79.4x38mm
Product net weight: 143g
Resistance to maximum temperature/upper limit temperature: ≤250 C/240 ℃
Power input specifications: 5V 2A
Diameter of consumable wire: 1.75+0.03 mm
Support materials: PLA, ABS, PETG, PCL, PA/PC
After a period of actual use experience with FC01, we believe that it is indeed a qualified consumable splicer. For novice users, after several attempts and adjustments, the ideal filament splicing effect can generally be achieved, and even the filaments after welding can maintain the standard diameter of 1.75mm. Next, we will focus on the main functions, unboxing experience, usage tips and precautions of this new consumables splicer.
In fact, the working principle of FC01 is not complicated. It mainly softens the thermoplastic by heating, melts the two ends of the consumables that need to be spliced, and then cools them to form a complete consumable. It supports common 3D printing filaments with a diameter of 1.75mm, such as PLA, ABS, PETG, PCL and PA/PC. The FC01 generally only takes 3 minutes to reach 185°C, the maximum temperature can reach 240°C, and the temperature control accuracy is ±3°C, ensuring a stable and reliable welding process.
Unlike 3D printers we’ve reviewed in the past, the FC01 is a complete filament splicer that requires no assembly and can be used by simply connecting the power cord. The device mainly consists of three parts: a display screen, a heating device for melting and a cutting device with a blade.
Judging from its design, the FC01 adopts a modern and simple style, with dimensions of only 111 x 79.4 x 38mm and a weight of 143g, when placed in the palm of the hand, it is equivalent to the 10,000 mAh pocket version of Xiaomi’s power bank, or even. lighter. It is very convenient to carry when you go out. You can put the splicer in the left pocket and the power bank in the right pocket. You can take them out and start working at any time.
In addition to the fusion splicer, the package also comes with a pack of almost 200 Teflon sleeves, which are essential accessories to ensure that the consumables can be fused correctly. Then we will follow the steps in the instruction manual to gradually complete the welding operation of the consumables.
First, we need to cut both ends of the filament at an angle of about 45° with diagonal pliers, and then insert it into the Teflon sleeve. Pay attention to the alignment of the cuts. This step is very critical. Then select the corresponding consumable type on the touch screen. By default, PLA consumables are used as an example. The heating temperature is 185°C. If you use other PLA consumables, such as PLA-Silk, you can also adjust it manually. temperature and set it higher.
After selecting the consumables and temperature, the device will automatically heat up. When the temperature reaches the set value, a beep will sound, indicating that melting can begin. Place the part of the filament with the sleeve on the metal heating block and cover it with the heating cover, then carefully push the two wires inward. Wait a few seconds for the buzzer to sound before removing the material from the heating block. Novice users should be reminded here not to use excessive force, otherwise the wire will be extruded and deformed, resulting in welding failure.
Finally, wait patiently for 10-15 seconds. Once the line has completely cooled, place the case into the cutting line bin and press the top cover. At this time, the knife will cut a slot in the casing, making work easier. cut the casing. At this point, the soldered wire can be used for 3D printing.
The steps above are not complicated, but you may encounter some minor issues during your first use.
For example, consumables need to be cut at a certain tilt angle, but in actual operations, the cutting at both ends is often not uniform. In addition, it is also necessary to ensure that the directions of the spliced filaments are consistent so that the materials can be wound onto the spool smoothly. If the parts cannot be aligned well after cutting, the fused joints may be too thick or have gaps, which will affect the printing effect.
In addition, although the display screen of FC01 is sufficient, it is relatively compact, making “PLA” look like “PLR” and the touch operation is not convenient enough. Fortunately, the interface is simple and clear. In most cases, there is no need to make too many adjustments and it can operate normally using the default settings.
We took a 3D printed boat as an example and used Tuozhu’s P1P 3D printer for a 16-color printing test without using the AMS system. It should be noted that when using FC01 for welding, you can only choose the same material, and you cannot mix PLA and ABS, otherwise it will not be successful. Additionally, even though it is the same type of PLA material, there are different types. For example, the melting points of PLA-Silk and regular PLA are different. If they are mixed, there is also a high risk of clogging issues during the printing process.
During the test, we selected small sections of PLA material with a uniform length of 20mm for splicing. However, there was a small episode during the first attempt, which resulted in uneven wire thickness after soldering and multiple material jamming issues. The cause of the problem is reusing the same case, so it is recommended to avoid this error. We then used a new sleeve for each solder and finally got the print right the first time. This way, multicolor printing takes the same time as using monochrome supplies. Additionally, compared to the AMS multicolor system, this method does not produce a large amount of waste, thus avoiding wasted materials.
In addition, the use of FC01 is not limited to splicing residual filaments to reduce material waste, but can also enable printing of creative models through multi-color splicing. In fact, during daily printing, if the filament of the machine is accidentally broken, or the filament is accidentally broken during the printing process, we can use this fusion splicer to repair it to ensure that the filament is continuous and stable and the printing is completed smoothly.
When you use this splicer for the first time, you may encounter problems with material getting clogged in the nozzle or breaking halfway. The main reason for clogging is that the filament diameter exceeds the tolerance range of 1.75mm and the material bulges are not smooth enough, while the breakage when feeding is mainly caused by incomplete welding and a lack of sufficient material at the interface; .
These problems are mainly caused by incorrect operation, such as excessive force leading to excessive splicing of consumables, or incorrect shear angles preventing materials from aligning during welding and ultimately leading to material shortage. However, after a few failures, these problems can usually be resolved. We also have some suggestions that we hope Sanlu can improve in the design of next-generation products. For example, the wire end trimming feature is built into the welder to ensure clean, consistent cuts every time. At the same time, a limitation function can be added to help users control the intensity of extruded filaments. This will simplify soldering, reduce human factors and improve printing success rates.
Finally, we think Sanlu FC01 consumable splicer is worth a try. It not only effectively solves the problem of wasting tail materials, but also repairs accidentally broken consumables. Users who want rainbow-colored consumables do not need to purchase finished products, they can simply use FC01 to assemble them themselves. If you want to select the most interesting 3D printing accessories in 2024, the FC01 will definitely be one of them. This is the welding tool the industry has been waiting for.
