EasyWelder is a very inexpensive 3D printing accessory that many people might find very useful.
No, it’s not a 3D printing pen or 3D model repair tool, it just looks like one. There are many examples of those other accessories, but as far as we can tell, this is the only handheld device designed specifically to weld filament.
EasyWelder is a clamp-like handheld unit that enables easy welding of two segments of 3D printer filament, either 3.00 or 1.75mm sizes. Operation is straightforward: select two segments of filament, place them in the supplied holder (EasyWelder comes with one set of holders for each filament size), wrap a cover around the joint and clamp the EasyWelder on it briefly. The two segments are then joined.
You can join two filaments of different color to make a hybrid filament that, when printed, results in a multicolor object.
Controlling exactly where the color changes in your print is a problem, however, as you’d have to calculate precisely how much filament is required before and after a color switch, so it’s likely not practical to do this in a precision manner. However, for “casual” color switches, this approach is easy to do.
But that’s not where we think the real use case is for this device. Instead it’s the very common problem of leftover filament on spools. Every 3D printer owner has mountains of filament spools with a small amount of plastic, usually insufficient for the next print job. These not-quite-empty spools accumulate and are not particularly useful. Worse, the price of filament doesn’t exactly encourage you to throw them out, either.
EasyWelder could be a solution: collect near-empty spools and join them together to form longer filaments that can print larger objects. You’ll get more value for your filament purchase – and it’s possible, given sufficient filament recovery through welding, to make up the cost of purchasing the EasyWelder.
That brings us to the cost of EasyWelder: only €45 (USD$49). This is a tool that should be found in every 3D printer workplace.
Via Kickstarter
