Overview ¶ 

Each loaded filament, once loaded, is automatically saved in a new file called "/sys/filaments.csv". This file may be enhanced in the future to include usage statistics for different materials.

Creating new filaments ¶ 

On Duet Web Control 1.19 you have new page called "Filaments". Switch to this page and create a new filament entry. If you haven't configured any filaments yet, you may see an error message on the filaments page, but this message should fade once a new item is created:

Once done, you can modify the G-code macros that are invoked when the filament is either loaded or unloaded by right-clicking on the new entry:

Load macros ¶ 

As mentioned before, the purpose of the new filament mechanism is to simplify the process of loading and unloading macros. Hence the load macro is invoked for a given tool with one extruder when it is explicitly loaded. An example for a load macro (for ABS in this case) may look like this:

M291 P"Please wait while the nozzle is being heated up" R"Loading ABS" S0 T0 ; Display message
G10 S200 ; Set current tool temperature to 200C
M116 ; Wait for the temperatures to be reached
M291 P"Feeding filament..." R"Loading ABS" S0 T0 ; Display new message
G1 E10 F600 ; Feed 10mm of filament at 600mm/min
G1 E470 F3000 ; Feed 470mm of filament at 3000mm/min
G1 E20 F300 ; Feed 20mm of filament at 300mm/min
G4 P1000 ; Wait one second
G1 E-10 F1800 ; Retract 10mm of filament at 1800mm/min
M400 ; Wait for moves to complete
M292 ; Hide the message
G10 S0 ; Turn off the heater again

You may adjust this template for your own needs. It can be modified by right-clicking on the entries as shown in the previous section.

Unload macros ¶ 

Similar to the load macro there is another macro to perform necessary steps to eject the current filament. This macro is always invoked when a filament is being changed or unloaded. An example (once more for ABS) may look like this:

M291 P"Please wait while the nozzle is being heated up" R"Unloading ABS" S0 T0 ; Display message
G10 S100 ; Heat up the current tool to 100C
M116 ; Wait for the temperatures to be reached
M291 P"Retracting filament..." R"Unloading ABS" S0 T0 ; Display another message
G1 E-20 F300 ; Retract 20mm of filament at 300mm/min
G1 E-480 F3000 ; Retract 480mm of filament at 3000mm/min
M400 ; Wait for the moves to finish
M292 ; Hide the message again
M84 E0:1 ; Turn off extruder drives 1 and 2

Using filaments ¶ 

Filament assignments can be only made for tools that have exactly one extruder drive assigned. This limitation ensures that the load and unload macros work with each extruder drive.

Loading filaments ¶ 

In principle filaments can be always loaded by clicking on Tools that have one extruder assigned. When you click on the tool caption, a popover shows show up asking you to either select the tool or to load a filament:

When you click on "Load Filament", you will get a list of all the filaments that are not in use. You can only load one filament at once. The current filament mechanism is intended to reflect your spools and the underlying mechanism will be likely enhanced to include some usage statistics as well.

Once you click on an entry, the tool you clicked on first will be selected (unless it is already selected) and the load macro of the chosen filament will be run. Once that is complete, Duet Web Control will display the new filament in the tool row and the new filament assignment is saved to the Duet's SD card.

Unloading filaments ¶ 

Unloading filaments works very similar to the load process. Just click on the tool with a loaded filament and you should see another popover:

When you click on "Unload", the firmware will select the chosen tool (unless it is already selected) and invoke the unload macro. Once that is complete, the firmware will erase the filament assignment for the tool's extruder drive.

Changing filaments ¶ 

If a filament is already loaded and you only want to change it, there is another option in the popover for this purpose. In principle DuetWebControl will select the clicked tool (unless already selected), run the unload macro of the currently loaded filament and then the load macro for the chosen other filament. If you want to make use of this mechanism, it is advised to add extra blocking prompts using M291 to the load and/or unload macros.

G-Codes ¶ 

The filament mechanism requires two G-codes, which are M701 and M702. For further information go to the Gcode page.