One of the key features of the Material Station is automatic filament switching. This allows your print job to continue, even if the spool used to start the print does not contain enough material for the entire print. When the filament runs out, the Material Station will automatically switch to the next available material spool of the same type. For this reason, it is recommended to always load another spool of the same material into the same extruder.
Tip: The information in this article applies to the S series Material Station (for the Pro Bundle setup) and Factor 4, which features an integrated Material Station. Although there are differences between the models, the filament switching process is very similar.
Spool selection
It is not possible to select manually which spool or material bay should be used for a print. When there are two or more materials of the same type loaded into the Material Station, the selection is based on the order in which the spools were loaded. The spool that was loaded first will be selected by the Pro Bundle to start a new print.
Due to the automatic filament switching feature, it does not matter if that spool does not contain enough material to finish the print.
Tip: If you do want to influence the spool selection order, reload the material spools. Use the eject button to unload the materials. Then, reinsert the materials into the desired entry port, starting with the material you want to use for the next print job. This is especially useful when working with multiple colors of the same generic material.
End-of-Filament scenario
An end-of-filament scenario can occur during printing. This happens when the material on the spool that is currently in use has run out. This can be triggered by the prefeeder inside the Material Station (if the end of the filament passes into the Material Station), or by the decoupler at the back of the Material Station (if the end of the filament is hooked onto the spool).
When an end-of-filament situation occurs, the Pro Bundle will retract the remaining length of the (almost) empty spool back into the Material Station. If another spool with the same type of material is pre-loaded in the Material Station, this will then be forwarded to the print head. The printing process will resume automatically.
Note: An end-of-filament scenario is also triggered if there is a problem with the material on the spool, such as when the material is tangled. In this case, eject the material from the entry port after it is unloaded, untangle the spool, and you can then reload it back into the material bay.
If there is no other spool of the same type available in the Material Station, the print will simply pause. The system will wait until a new spool of the same material type is loaded by the user. This material will then be forwarded to the print head so the print can continue.
Note: Due to the length of the extrusion system, there will be ~ 2.5 meters of filament left in an end-of-filament situation. This is retracted back into the Material Station. If the end of the filament was still hooked on the spool, the material will rewind back onto the spool. However, if the end has come loose from the spool, the leftover material could be retracted in a messy way, with the material across other bays. Please timely remove the leftover material and empty spools.
Errors during switching
If there is a problem while loading the new spool during the automatic filament switching, you will see a message on the screen. All progress is paused and you can follow the steps on the display and on the support page linked below to resolve the issue and recover the Material Station. After this, and when a new material spool is pre-loaded, the automatic filament switching process resumes and your print will continue. For more information, please visit this page:
The material failed to load wizard
