3DPrinting

In my makerspace, we've printed using the ends of rolls just to make random multicolor prints. I also recently bought a cheap 3D printing pen for repairing prints or other random purposes, so that's also a good use for the ends of a roll.

if I want to torture myself and, hum, make a custom multicolor filament, yeah.

I prefer to respect myself, so I have a sign saying "Don't" on the box of junk with the splicer and similarly bad ideas.

1m of filament represents 6-10¢ of value for basic filaments like PLA/PETG/ABS/ASA from a quality manufacturer, less for cheap ones. I will never bother with the hassle of splicing filament pieces for that.

I have done it back in the day. It's a real hassle. And I went to the trouble of designing a proper heating and aligning tool to do the job. I could produce a smooth and pretty good splice. The trouble with it was different brands/colors of filament were always iffy about staying welded due to the additives. While it mostly worked, the welds could break just often enough to piss you off. I finally gave up on trying to make a reliable product happen.

Automatically switching spools on runout is the one thing my AMS lite is really, really worth having. It's why I bought my Mini combo a year ago.

Small pieces of filament are good for a 3D pen if you have one. Splicing filament isn't really worth the effort just to use up such a small amount of filament.

Yes. I bought one of those cheap sunlu filament joiners (I think CNC Kitchen did a video on it?).

Basically, when a spool is at the point where I start caring how much filament is left on it? I put it off to the side. And two or three times a year I just listen to a podcast while I fuse all those spools (with the same material). Makes for some fun multicolor prints when one color ends and the next begins and basically means I have all the "infinite filament" benefits of a multi-filament system without costing hundreds of dollars.

I don't do much PETG but the sunlu has a setting for it (185C).

MMU units like the ERCF allow you to use a functionality called "endless spool, which detects spool run-outs and automatically switches to another spool in the same group.
You still waste some filament, to be precise the length from the MMU unit inlet gates to the extruder, but whatever.

I've tried it a few different ways and the best outcome I've had was using some tubing, like this one: https://youtu.be/yuZ0DA8w9XI

I don't always do it but when I do, I do it this way from now on. The tube makes sure the filament stays aligned, I also cut the two ends at a 45 and try and join them up inside the tube. Usually I'll save the ends and then do a few rolls at once, can usually get another few prints out of it.

Bambu allows you to automatically switch to a different spool from ams when you run out and continue printing, so this becomes unnecessary.