Does a 3D printer need the reel or spool to print? Or can I use it without the reel?

[WolfLoverPro]

Basically a reel broke and now it’s curled filament but not on the wheel thing 

 

can’t I just put the filament onto the holder and print? Or does it really need the wheel? 

 

 

[Levent]

You cant. Filament catches really easily, also how did you manage the break that? I literally threw spools of filament across my room to a wall and it didnt even crack.

[WolfLoverPro]

9 minutes ago, Levent said:

You cant. Filament catches really easily, also how did you manage the break that? I literally threw spools of filament across my room to a wall and it didnt even crack.

Excuse mehhh. It was delivered crack on both sides so it just dropped out lmfao 

 

And I also have a box of spare filament that isn’t on rolls. Is there a way to put these onto rolls as soon as I have to  ? 

[Levent]

Just now, WolfLoverPro said:

Excuse mehhh. It was delivered crack on both sides so it just dropped out lmfao 

 

And I also have a box of spare filament that isn’t on rolls. Is there a way to put these onto rolls as soon as I have to  ? 

You are SOL. You cant roll a filament back to its spools, you have to roll it so that it doesnt catch itself and/or break when your 3D printer attempts to feed the nozzle.

[SPARTAN VI]

Yes, you can print without the physical spool, I do this all the time. You do run a higher risk of the loose filament getting tangled, so I'd recommend cutting the filament to length as closely as possible to what's needed for a job. 

[WolfLoverPro]

3 minutes ago, Levent said:

You are SOL. You cant roll a filament back to its spools, you have to roll it so that it doesnt catch itself and/or break when your 3D printer attempts to feed the nozzle.

You know like 3D pen filament comes without spools? I have a box of that. It’s PLA . 
 

guess I’ll have to only use it for 3D pen

[dalekphalm]

3 hours ago, WolfLoverPro said:

Basically a reel broke and now it’s curled filament but not on the wheel thing 

 

can’t I just put the filament onto the holder and print? Or does it really need the wheel? 

 

 

It can work without the reel, but not well. The biggest issue is the filament getting knotted, which happens sometimes even if you've got a proper reel with proper tension.

 

Without a reel, you'd have to "feed" the 3D printer with your hands, ensuring that there's always some slack and hoping you've got enough time to untangle any knots before the knot reaches the printer.

 

TL;DR: Just don't - 3D print a new one if you need to.