Build the (un)original dry box and 1/2 way through some respoolers for it. It was just way too unwieldy, it would have taken up the whole dinning room table.
This is what I'm [printing](https://i.imgur.com/gAAUlmV.jpg) currently and hoping it works. The original prusa buffer layout takes up too much space, I tried an RMU-like design that causes too much friction at the cassette buffer.
I did the same thing, did the (un)original dry box + heating unit, and now I am printing this (https://www.printables.com/model/702217-mmu3-2s-5-spool-auto-rewinder-adapter-for-unorigin) for the MMU3 to delete the buffer.
This setup seems to be the cleanest. Unoriginal dry box plus this buffer delete will make for a much neater presentation. Could you do this setup without the enclosure?
Imagine you could do this without the enclosure, just need somewhere to put the dry box. After looking at other people's setup with individual heating units, cables everywhere, and various stuff just hanging around, I wanted to make a much more self-contained setup. This removes the buffer, additional dryer units, and holds the filament. Most people designed this stuff, but I think my next step is to design a new dry box fixture (holds it in place), that will hold the sheets for the printer.
I have a collection of items I found useful for the enclosure, I don't use all of them but some people don't need the rewinder and such and so there is alternative spool holders and such
https://www.printables.com/@SvaarCalderss_890502/collections/1526080
I decided to replace the provided spool holders and the buffer with rewinding spool holders. They take up less space and are easier to handle (though I'm not using Prusa enclosure)
I ditched the buffer with my MMU2 and use autorewinders. The only MMU errors I’ve had since have been when the stronger autorewinder rewinds the filament a little too far and out of the MMU’s grip.
When I designed [my rewinder dryboxes](https://www.printables.com/model/129093-auto-rewinder-stand-for-rubbermaid-16-cup-containe), I remixed the hub rewinding mechanism to have smaller springs, because I had the same problem: the rewinder would pull the filament clear out of the MMU. It needs to make only 1 turn at the most.
I use the rewinder you remixed. I like your stand design that snaps between the lid and container. That’s brilliant. Definitely going to try a couple of these. The other individual dry boxes i have don’t have rewinders and sometimes the filament pushes back into the box enough to jump off the spool and jam the next time that filament gets used.
Hey, thank you!
Me, I find the one that uses the container lid more cumbersome than the one with the printed base. But I still use both, I have 2 of one, 2 of the other, and one standalone rewinder stand in the middle without a container. When I upgrade to the MMU3 (I have printed all the parts but need to upgrade my MK3S to MK3.9 first) I'll keep the same arrangement.
I really like this one though: [https://www.printables.com/model/920922-buffer-for-prusa-mmu](https://www.printables.com/model/920922-buffer-for-prusa-mmu) - see the third picture. It integrates a buffer with a spool holder/drybox.
I use this: https://www.printables.com/model/461663-spool-holder-1kg-or-2kg-for-original-prusa-enclosu
and this: https://www.printables.com/model/845863-mmu3-mounting-kit-for-original-prusa-enclosure
Why waste more space when you already have space you can use?
Well they catch the retraction length during the filament change. With the buffer the tangling risk are kept to a minimum and so more reliablity in general on the changes as well.
An additional thing that I found - depending on the spool and the path, there may be too much friction in the full run for the tiny idler ‘gears’ to pull all the way from the spool (with cardboard spools, mine would just chew into the filament). If you have all the filament pre-loaded into the buffer, the only PTFE friction/resistance for the idler gears is between the MMU and the buffer, so it can get it to your extruder gear (which tends to have a stronger pull and better grip). I also had to print an external ‘rim’ to slip over my spools so they would roll freely - if you are manually pulling the filament through between the spool and the buffer, I found a huge difference in rolling friction without them - and some of my Jessie (printed solid) cardboard spools had a little notch in the outer circle that would catch as well and occasionally create a gap in my later lines, or worst case set up for a partial layer printing ‘air’
Here is my buffer with Skadis setup https://www.printables.com/model/757781-hanging-mmu3-buffer-on-skadis and the spool with these https://www.printables.com/model/760467-filament-spoor-holder-for-skadis
Works very nice I may say and compact on the wall.
It might not work with your enclosure, but I really like how the spools and buffer are arranged on the [IKEA Lack V2 enclosure](https://blog.prusa3d.com/mmu2s-printer-enclosure_30215/). I built this for a MMU2 and it worked really well.
I’ve since returned the MMU2…but I still use the enclosure and spool holders. I drilled some holes in the top of the lid and added an interface with 5 mini PTFE tubes I can push filament through. It’s great holding a handful of rolls and quickly swapping filament in my printer.
Update!
I printed this
https://www.printables.com/model/888562-mmu3-buffer-enclosure-mount
and installed on the left side.
[Setup with buffer on left side](https://share.icloud.com/photos/02dnorSDX73i2mA0doA6vjCYg)
I just put something like a broomstick on the wall, above the printer. I can take it from the wall to put the spools on and then place it back on the wall, works fine for me.
It's stored in dryboxes above (MK4) / next to (MK3.5) the printer. The dryboxes each have some kind of detangling feature so there is no need for the cassetes.
This is my MK4 setup.
https://i.imgur.com/1olXTjq.jpeg
You may be able to see the cardboard pieces inside the drybox that prevent the filament from jumping off the spools.
Correct. It's a lightbar wired directly to the PSU.
https://www.printables.com/model/902926-prusa-mk4-mmu3-ikea-mittled-light-bar
It's up that high so that it won't collide with the reverse bowden tube from the MMU. It jiggles a lot due to the long arms, so I'm looking into making an updated version of the IKEA Ledberg side mount to house the new MITTLED spots instead. https://www.printables.com/model/820-dual-ikea-ledberg-mount-to-prusa-mk2mk2smk3mk4-z-t
What is the enclosure that you are using? I’m trying to put my MK4 back in service and I’m not able to find anything remotely as nice to put my printer into. Mind sharing please?
Mine look like[ this.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wOx0kkLFSkgEsVyjXCcQSWsy1kOPdJRG5AiX5MGs8S7T_kXZ4NWcJNPtTmrhSqpPJx28IzGs4FJOwyXExTVs3JzHYOeQ80mi9aTHFEhosnlq2R1NEBvljv1VHeACIqiYgEpHYqp3Rzsmwn5uJr2oU1q63HMmuLkSBtVGvuP7Eu5pTdzv6QGXKz-e/s2048/my3dprinter.jpg) This is with my MMU2S. I'm upgrading it to MMU3 and the arrangement will be identical.
You can see one spool holder there in the middle behind the printer. Otherwise I don't use them at all. My spools are all in rewinder dryboxes.
I’ve been wondering that myself. I have a 24” x 22” side table/computer holder thing that my grandpa made me for my desk back when I was in like middle school. Never had a use for it, but now with the MMU3, I’m thinking of building a dry case for the printer with a second level for the spools. I’m currently making the filament dry boxes found [here](https://www.printables.com/model/453772-ultimate-filament-dry-box). So I may be able to just make the top level open and set the containers up top.
This is definitely not the easiest way, but I’m going to cut acrylic sheeting out and replace the first two black walls on each side, and then caulk it shut with more acrylic sheeting long ways.
You can actually screw it onto the back sides of the enclosure on the left and right specifically, I don’t know why it’s only the back and not the front, but the holes just about line up. There’s a mount you can get from printables for it. I’m putting the acrylic on because I intend to leave my filament chilling in the buffer unless I need to remove one to make room, and so I need it to be less open to the air so as to prevent filament degradation.
I can’t recommend you doing all the acrylic stuff, but just print out the mount and screw it onto the back left or right of the enclosure!
I have a soft enclosure and did not want to mount anything on my walls but just use a special purpose table for everything. It’s a shame you can’t post pictures in a comment to an original post here so I’m not sure if I’ll just start a new post to answer this question especially for others that are limited with available real estate. Both the spool holders that come with the MMU3 and the cassette buffer system are quite flawed. IMHO.
The spool holders are the poorest quality of anything I’ve ever gotten from Prusa and you have to hold the spool out of the spool holder and somehow feed the filament into the bottom of it as one problem and secondly, then the cassettes in their buffer needs to be manually manipulated to get filament around the wheel or print a secondarily designed clip, a guy made which actually worked pretty well but you had to pull the cassette in and out to make all that work and keep the PTFE tubes from twisting.
I also printed and used the auto rewind spool holders with mixed success, even the stiffer springs were sometimes insufficient, but to be fair I didn’t try to balance each and every spool I put in one as suggested as that seemed like a lot of extra work so I went back to looking for buffer systems.
I settled on remixing a minimalist spool holder that I added a PC4M 10 fitting to, to hold the outgoing PFTE tubes to and with that I could get all five spools inside my soft enclosure. Two spool holders on top of the frame and then three slightly larger remixed minimalist spool holders with the same , PTFE holders, which are now working great. I paired this with a cassette buffer system someone else had remixed and then built a stand for five of them plus all printed rods and nuts that hold the assembly together, which fits on one side of the printer. Those buffer wheels have mechanical covers that slide up and down to either route the filament around the wheel or let it into the buffer so you don’t have to ever remove the wheel as a cassette like in the original Prusa design. I’ll figure out how to show pictures of all this because it all fits well with plenty of extra room in YOOPAI soft enclosure and now I have consistent very good bed adhesion across both PLA and PETG.
Again, all that work was to try to fit everything in a soft enclosure where you could not attach anything to the side or on top. I’ve seen a lot of great attempts at this and leant heavily on remixing work others had done that made all that possible. Let me know if interested and I’ll find a way to post pictures and go find all the links to the buffer cassettes and spools I remixed and I should put them all out on printables.com if it could help anyone else.
Mine was an upgrade from thr mmu2s, long ago I lost the spool holders and so I made new ones. Used the auto rewind spool holder for rep rak and I'm able to fit all 5 on thr enclosure if I have the buffer on the floor at the side of it.
It works for now but it is definately a problem in need of a more proper solution.
Vertical is the way, I use this: [https://www.printables.com/model/861840-mmu3-vertical-buffer-stand](https://www.printables.com/model/861840-mmu3-vertical-buffer-stand)
and this: [https://www.printables.com/model/870760-numbered-mmu3-plate-holder-r4-for-vertical-buffer](https://www.printables.com/model/870760-numbered-mmu3-plate-holder-r4-for-vertical-buffer)
If you have the option to [hang the spools](https://imgur.com/gallery/blopzah) above the printer it worked really well for me. I was able to bypass the entire buffer system.
Disclaimer: this is a payed option (5$ if you are on printables myclub)
See if it’s interesting, it will bypass the original buffer and rewinders … keep your filament dry and feed the mmu.
https://www.printables.com/model/873851-spoolbox-for-prusa-mmu
The spoolbox was featured by Josef Prusa a week or so ago:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8KFLEPNUii/?igsh=MXJvZTllcnZlbW5obQ==
Thanks a lot for supporting. Hope this serves you well...
For some reason this solution is not getting any visibility and I think its new and an intersting solution
Ya, for sure … :/ I’ve made this for me, it works nicely, I thought that maybe more people will like it. But you are right, not a lot of us have the mmu.
Build the (un)original dry box and 1/2 way through some respoolers for it. It was just way too unwieldy, it would have taken up the whole dinning room table.
This is what I'm [printing](https://i.imgur.com/gAAUlmV.jpg) currently and hoping it works. The original prusa buffer layout takes up too much space, I tried an RMU-like design that causes too much friction at the cassette buffer.
What’s the printable?
I did the same thing, did the (un)original dry box + heating unit, and now I am printing this (https://www.printables.com/model/702217-mmu3-2s-5-spool-auto-rewinder-adapter-for-unorigin) for the MMU3 to delete the buffer.
This setup seems to be the cleanest. Unoriginal dry box plus this buffer delete will make for a much neater presentation. Could you do this setup without the enclosure?
Imagine you could do this without the enclosure, just need somewhere to put the dry box. After looking at other people's setup with individual heating units, cables everywhere, and various stuff just hanging around, I wanted to make a much more self-contained setup. This removes the buffer, additional dryer units, and holds the filament. Most people designed this stuff, but I think my next step is to design a new dry box fixture (holds it in place), that will hold the sheets for the printer. I have a collection of items I found useful for the enclosure, I don't use all of them but some people don't need the rewinder and such and so there is alternative spool holders and such https://www.printables.com/@SvaarCalderss_890502/collections/1526080
I decided to replace the provided spool holders and the buffer with rewinding spool holders. They take up less space and are easier to handle (though I'm not using Prusa enclosure)
I ditched the buffer with my MMU2 and use autorewinders. The only MMU errors I’ve had since have been when the stronger autorewinder rewinds the filament a little too far and out of the MMU’s grip.
When I designed [my rewinder dryboxes](https://www.printables.com/model/129093-auto-rewinder-stand-for-rubbermaid-16-cup-containe), I remixed the hub rewinding mechanism to have smaller springs, because I had the same problem: the rewinder would pull the filament clear out of the MMU. It needs to make only 1 turn at the most.
I use the rewinder you remixed. I like your stand design that snaps between the lid and container. That’s brilliant. Definitely going to try a couple of these. The other individual dry boxes i have don’t have rewinders and sometimes the filament pushes back into the box enough to jump off the spool and jam the next time that filament gets used.
Hey, thank you! Me, I find the one that uses the container lid more cumbersome than the one with the printed base. But I still use both, I have 2 of one, 2 of the other, and one standalone rewinder stand in the middle without a container. When I upgrade to the MMU3 (I have printed all the parts but need to upgrade my MK3S to MK3.9 first) I'll keep the same arrangement. I really like this one though: [https://www.printables.com/model/920922-buffer-for-prusa-mmu](https://www.printables.com/model/920922-buffer-for-prusa-mmu) - see the third picture. It integrates a buffer with a spool holder/drybox.
I use this: https://www.printables.com/model/461663-spool-holder-1kg-or-2kg-for-original-prusa-enclosu and this: https://www.printables.com/model/845863-mmu3-mounting-kit-for-original-prusa-enclosure Why waste more space when you already have space you can use?
https://www.reddit.com/r/prusa3d/s/oTw6Ym6OUL Here you can see my post how I arranged it 👍🏼
Next question: What does the Casette buffer do? Just seems like an extra long way for the filament to go. What’s its function?
Well they catch the retraction length during the filament change. With the buffer the tangling risk are kept to a minimum and so more reliablity in general on the changes as well.
An additional thing that I found - depending on the spool and the path, there may be too much friction in the full run for the tiny idler ‘gears’ to pull all the way from the spool (with cardboard spools, mine would just chew into the filament). If you have all the filament pre-loaded into the buffer, the only PTFE friction/resistance for the idler gears is between the MMU and the buffer, so it can get it to your extruder gear (which tends to have a stronger pull and better grip). I also had to print an external ‘rim’ to slip over my spools so they would roll freely - if you are manually pulling the filament through between the spool and the buffer, I found a huge difference in rolling friction without them - and some of my Jessie (printed solid) cardboard spools had a little notch in the outer circle that would catch as well and occasionally create a gap in my later lines, or worst case set up for a partial layer printing ‘air’
Here is my buffer with Skadis setup https://www.printables.com/model/757781-hanging-mmu3-buffer-on-skadis and the spool with these https://www.printables.com/model/760467-filament-spoor-holder-for-skadis Works very nice I may say and compact on the wall.
Very clever!
It might not work with your enclosure, but I really like how the spools and buffer are arranged on the [IKEA Lack V2 enclosure](https://blog.prusa3d.com/mmu2s-printer-enclosure_30215/). I built this for a MMU2 and it worked really well. I’ve since returned the MMU2…but I still use the enclosure and spool holders. I drilled some holes in the top of the lid and added an interface with 5 mini PTFE tubes I can push filament through. It’s great holding a handful of rolls and quickly swapping filament in my printer.
[My own custom spoolholders](https://www.printables.com/model/831258-cardboard-polymaker-spool-roller-wall-mount)
Update! I printed this https://www.printables.com/model/888562-mmu3-buffer-enclosure-mount and installed on the left side. [Setup with buffer on left side](https://share.icloud.com/photos/02dnorSDX73i2mA0doA6vjCYg)
I just put something like a broomstick on the wall, above the printer. I can take it from the wall to put the spools on and then place it back on the wall, works fine for me.
That would be an easy fix :)
I uploaded my "free balling setup", like someone called, some days ago here. If you need a picture ^^
It's stored in dryboxes above (MK4) / next to (MK3.5) the printer. The dryboxes each have some kind of detangling feature so there is no need for the cassetes. This is my MK4 setup. https://i.imgur.com/1olXTjq.jpeg You may be able to see the cardboard pieces inside the drybox that prevent the filament from jumping off the spools.
The white thing on the orange holders, looks like a light bar or something like that? Like it and need it now x)
Correct. It's a lightbar wired directly to the PSU. https://www.printables.com/model/902926-prusa-mk4-mmu3-ikea-mittled-light-bar It's up that high so that it won't collide with the reverse bowden tube from the MMU. It jiggles a lot due to the long arms, so I'm looking into making an updated version of the IKEA Ledberg side mount to house the new MITTLED spots instead. https://www.printables.com/model/820-dual-ikea-ledberg-mount-to-prusa-mk2mk2smk3mk4-z-t
Great very appreciated! I put it on my want to do list :D
What is the enclosure that you are using? I’m trying to put my MK4 back in service and I’m not able to find anything remotely as nice to put my printer into. Mind sharing please?
It’s the [Prusa Enclosure](https://www.prusa3d.com/en/product/original-prusa-enclosure-3/)
Didn’t look close enough at the picture but now I see that it’s on a tiny step stool looking thing. That’s what I’m kind of looking for.
That's the IKEA Lack table that most people use to build their own enclosures. It's also the perfect size to fit the Prusa enclosure on top
Pretty similar to the picture. 3 spools on the lack enclosure left of the prusa enclosure, the other 2 next to the buffer
I got some really good advice here a month or two ago. Reprack! Skip to 4:23: https://youtu.be/52UBd3dCBTQ
Mine look like[ this.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wOx0kkLFSkgEsVyjXCcQSWsy1kOPdJRG5AiX5MGs8S7T_kXZ4NWcJNPtTmrhSqpPJx28IzGs4FJOwyXExTVs3JzHYOeQ80mi9aTHFEhosnlq2R1NEBvljv1VHeACIqiYgEpHYqp3Rzsmwn5uJr2oU1q63HMmuLkSBtVGvuP7Eu5pTdzv6QGXKz-e/s2048/my3dprinter.jpg) This is with my MMU2S. I'm upgrading it to MMU3 and the arrangement will be identical. You can see one spool holder there in the middle behind the printer. Otherwise I don't use them at all. My spools are all in rewinder dryboxes.
I’ve been wondering that myself. I have a 24” x 22” side table/computer holder thing that my grandpa made me for my desk back when I was in like middle school. Never had a use for it, but now with the MMU3, I’m thinking of building a dry case for the printer with a second level for the spools. I’m currently making the filament dry boxes found [here](https://www.printables.com/model/453772-ultimate-filament-dry-box). So I may be able to just make the top level open and set the containers up top.
This is definitely not the easiest way, but I’m going to cut acrylic sheeting out and replace the first two black walls on each side, and then caulk it shut with more acrylic sheeting long ways. You can actually screw it onto the back sides of the enclosure on the left and right specifically, I don’t know why it’s only the back and not the front, but the holes just about line up. There’s a mount you can get from printables for it. I’m putting the acrylic on because I intend to leave my filament chilling in the buffer unless I need to remove one to make room, and so I need it to be less open to the air so as to prevent filament degradation. I can’t recommend you doing all the acrylic stuff, but just print out the mount and screw it onto the back left or right of the enclosure!
I have a soft enclosure and did not want to mount anything on my walls but just use a special purpose table for everything. It’s a shame you can’t post pictures in a comment to an original post here so I’m not sure if I’ll just start a new post to answer this question especially for others that are limited with available real estate. Both the spool holders that come with the MMU3 and the cassette buffer system are quite flawed. IMHO. The spool holders are the poorest quality of anything I’ve ever gotten from Prusa and you have to hold the spool out of the spool holder and somehow feed the filament into the bottom of it as one problem and secondly, then the cassettes in their buffer needs to be manually manipulated to get filament around the wheel or print a secondarily designed clip, a guy made which actually worked pretty well but you had to pull the cassette in and out to make all that work and keep the PTFE tubes from twisting. I also printed and used the auto rewind spool holders with mixed success, even the stiffer springs were sometimes insufficient, but to be fair I didn’t try to balance each and every spool I put in one as suggested as that seemed like a lot of extra work so I went back to looking for buffer systems. I settled on remixing a minimalist spool holder that I added a PC4M 10 fitting to, to hold the outgoing PFTE tubes to and with that I could get all five spools inside my soft enclosure. Two spool holders on top of the frame and then three slightly larger remixed minimalist spool holders with the same , PTFE holders, which are now working great. I paired this with a cassette buffer system someone else had remixed and then built a stand for five of them plus all printed rods and nuts that hold the assembly together, which fits on one side of the printer. Those buffer wheels have mechanical covers that slide up and down to either route the filament around the wheel or let it into the buffer so you don’t have to ever remove the wheel as a cassette like in the original Prusa design. I’ll figure out how to show pictures of all this because it all fits well with plenty of extra room in YOOPAI soft enclosure and now I have consistent very good bed adhesion across both PLA and PETG. Again, all that work was to try to fit everything in a soft enclosure where you could not attach anything to the side or on top. I’ve seen a lot of great attempts at this and leant heavily on remixing work others had done that made all that possible. Let me know if interested and I’ll find a way to post pictures and go find all the links to the buffer cassettes and spools I remixed and I should put them all out on printables.com if it could help anyone else.
I built a Lack V2 back before Prusa had their own enclosure so I use those spool holders.
Mine was an upgrade from thr mmu2s, long ago I lost the spool holders and so I made new ones. Used the auto rewind spool holder for rep rak and I'm able to fit all 5 on thr enclosure if I have the buffer on the floor at the side of it. It works for now but it is definately a problem in need of a more proper solution.
Vertical is the way, I use this: [https://www.printables.com/model/861840-mmu3-vertical-buffer-stand](https://www.printables.com/model/861840-mmu3-vertical-buffer-stand) and this: [https://www.printables.com/model/870760-numbered-mmu3-plate-holder-r4-for-vertical-buffer](https://www.printables.com/model/870760-numbered-mmu3-plate-holder-r4-for-vertical-buffer)
If you have the option to [hang the spools](https://imgur.com/gallery/blopzah) above the printer it worked really well for me. I was able to bypass the entire buffer system.
Disclaimer: this is a payed option (5$ if you are on printables myclub) See if it’s interesting, it will bypass the original buffer and rewinders … keep your filament dry and feed the mmu. https://www.printables.com/model/873851-spoolbox-for-prusa-mmu The spoolbox was featured by Josef Prusa a week or so ago: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8KFLEPNUii/?igsh=MXJvZTllcnZlbW5obQ==
Will definitely look into that.
I’m now a supporter 😀 Print has begun on the spoolbox 😀
Thanks a lot for supporting. Hope this serves you well... For some reason this solution is not getting any visibility and I think its new and an intersting solution
Maybe it’s the dependency on the mmu?
Ya, for sure … :/ I’ve made this for me, it works nicely, I thought that maybe more people will like it. But you are right, not a lot of us have the mmu.