Well then, that took a while. A new blog post, at last! I have to admit honestly that I had little time "to spare" to sit down properly for it, because quite a lot has happened recently at 3D Fanshop.

Our filaments have moved!

To begin with, after 2 years we have grown considerably, which meant the current way of storing and processing the filaments and handling orders was no longer ideal. There was literally a lack of space. The boxes of filament from Fiberlogy and Fill 3D were quite literally everywhere. We took the plunge and went looking for a solution. And we can proudly say that we have purchased a new business premises.

After a lot of renovating, assembling all the racking and moving hundreds of kilos of filament, we are now fully operational from the new location. I am so incredibly proud, and how pleasant it is to have all the rolls of filament in a logical place. This new space gives many more possibilities to expand, and orders are handled far more efficiently. Nothing changes for contacting us and for picking up filaments. The address as stated in the footer remains available for that.

Formnext expo

At the end of last year I went to Formnext in Frankfurt, the largest Additive Manufacturing expo. I had been invited by my friends at Fiberlogy, so I left early in the morning on the last day of the fair from Eindhoven Airport, to land back there again that evening. All the major and leading manufacturers of 3D printers, filaments and all 3D printing related items were to be found in Frankfurt. I met a lot of interesting people from the 3D printing industry and had good conversations. So much innovation is coming in the field of 3D printing. Industrial as well as for home use. Really recommended for 3D enthusiasts.

Fiberlogy comes out with a new filament spool

One of Fiberlogy's spearheads during Formnext was introducing a new spool for their filament! I will always admit that I am a very big fan of the current (or is it already the old) spool. I simply think it is a premium product you get in your hands when you open the packaging. The white filament spool is distinctive and you recognise the spool among thousands. At the time, the spool was one of the (many) reasons to choose Fiberlogy as a partner and to import all their fantastic filaments. But in all fairness, sometimes there was also critical comment about this spool. It is a lot of plastic that can go straight into the bin afterwards, it is a fair weight, and the dimensions are not always ideal for filament dryers or some printers.

There is one thing you will not have to get used to: the new Fiberlogy filament spool is white too, just like the old one! And I have to say that, quite apart from the practical side which I will come back to shortly, Fiberlogy has created an incredibly beautiful design for this new, very eye-catching spool. Really, as surprised as I was when I got to see the new spool as a preview a few months ago during a working visit to Fiberlogy's factory in Poland, that is how beautifully the new spool stood shining at the fair with all its colourful 3D filaments. It is a truly clever piece of design, and so Fiberlogy remains highly distinctive with this spool and the slightly adjusted house style too!

New dimensions for the reusable filament spool

The new spool from Fiberlogy also has quite a few practical upgrades. The dimensions have been optimised so that the spool is excellently suited to all applications. The space saving in our warehouse is enormous, and for shipping it is also far more compact and lighter in weight. The filament on this spool will in virtually all cases be excellently suited to filament dryers, but also, for example, to the incredibly popular 3D printer from Bambu Lab, the X1 Carbon with AMS (I have one myself :). Also not unimportant is that the spool is now reusable — on the contrary, even! You can simply refill it with the refill filament from Fiberlogy. We have these in our range in various materials such as PLA filament, PETG filament and PCTG filament. I expect Fiberlogy's refill range to expand considerably in the future.

It may take a while yet before you actually receive the new spool. You will understand that with the stocks of filament that both we and certainly Fiberlogy have, it will take a while before all existing stock has been replaced. In our warehouse we are already seeing the new filament spools appear more and more, so the flow is starting to get going! 

Fill 3D cannot stay behind

Our own, exclusive house brand Fill 3D premium filament naturally cannot stay behind. We too think it is important to innovate and have decided to adapt the spools. You will already have been able to read about it at our Fill 3D filament range on the website. We have chosen to replace the current spools step by step with slightly slimmer versions. In the case of Fill 3D the spools simply stay black, the filament on them remains of the same excellent quality, but the spools themselves are narrower and therefore better suited to all 3D printing purposes! Here too it applies that you can increasingly expect your filament on a new Fill 3D spool, and so the image for 1kg Fill 3D PLA and 1kg Fill 3D PETG may differ slightly from the actual product you receive. We are very enthusiastic and, while we were at it, we have given the boxes a viewing window, the filament is vacuum packed and the box has been given a sturdier shrink seal. It is good to have everything clearly lined up.

Finally, do you have a tip, a question or something else you want to share in the field of 3D printing, 3D printer filament or other related subjects? Then do not hesitate to get in touch. I will help or advise you where I can. Do you have a complex 3D printing problem? I am happy to think along with you. Exchanging ideas, personal contact, innovation, gaining inspiration and helping one another. That is what I love about the 3D printing community.