I Installed the Reprack Filament Storage System - FINALLY! - 3D Print Farm Vlog 8

Welcome back to another day in the life video. In this video, I show a behind the scenes look at a typical Tuesday in my small 3d print farm. I start the day by packaging orders, then I install the Reprack filament storage system in my print shop, and last I change out saturated desiccant in my Bambu Lab AMS units. Chapters at the bottom in case you only want to watch a portion of the video. Hope you guys enjoy :)
Thank you guys so much for watching, we finally made it past 11,000 subscribers so now we're on the road to 20,000! It would really mean a lot to me if you subscribed and joined me on my 3d printing journey.
Website - macymakes3d.com/
Instagram - / macymakes3d
Patreon - patreon.com/MacyMakes3d?...
Self Watering Planters - www.chipp.com/
Reprack - www.printables.com/model/1290...
AMS Desiccant holder - makerworld.com/en/models/1584...
Affiliate Links:
Bambulab Sale Ends 7/5 - shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=258415...
Favorite Printer (P1S) - shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=237790...
Butane Torch - amzn.to/3SuTvW9
Butane refills - amzn.to/3w74hdK
Favorite Filament - Overture PLA - amzn.to/3Rf8fZr
Tape Dispenser - amzn.to/3RSawKu
Sterilite Dry Boxes - amzn.to/45MF1Y9
Cyberpower UPS - amzn.to/45RGTi5
Desiccant beads - amzn.to/3zvP6fR
For behind the scenes 3d print farm content:
Vlog 1: • Running a Small 3d Pri...
Vlog 2: • I Ordered 50 Rolls of ...
Vlog 3: • I Bought ANOTHER Bambu...
Vlog 4: • 3d Print Farm Day in t...
Vlog 5: • I Bought the NEW Bambu...
Vlog 6: • Running my Small 3d Pr...
Vlog 7: • Construction in the Pr...
Chapters:
Intro 0:00
Unload Printers 0:24
Package Orders 1:23
Reprack Install 4:10
Refill Desiccant 13:00
Outro 16:00

[@Trallo-cc2ne]

My advice for you is to sit down and pat yourself on the back for a moment. You're doing a great job! Gotta celebrate that sometimes!

[@macymakes3d]

Thank you so much :) One of the best comments I've gotten in a while!

[@leeedsonetwo]

I do not not why but watching you developing your business is fascinating. I hope you every success.

[@macymakes3d]

Lol thank you so much :)

[@spirit6450]

I would LOVE to see a series of videos or maybe just 1 video of how you did it, how you made your business work. I've got a 3d printing business myself and have been struggling recently on etsy. An honest video series from someone whos genuinely had success would be AMAZING!

[@jondoe5866]

Macy I don’t know how you got on my feed but it’s so refreshing to too real people doing things the way they want. It’s like everyone gets stuff and that’s what the videos are about. No one watches infomercials anymore and that’s what the big channels have turned into. Stay cool Macy please don’t loose the coolness. I only comment and like on very special. 😊

[@macymakes3d]

Haha thank you so much. I'll try to keep the coolness going :)

[@thenextlayer]

Yaaay you saw my suggestion! Amazing, I hope you enjoy the RepRacks :) They look super awesome. Just don't forget to put the stoppers so the rods don't move. (Not fully through the video yet maybe you did) I was going to also suggest 3-5kg spools, but considering how much multicolor you do, it might not be a good idea. THOUGH, the maker of Hydra just released a new AMS mod that supports 3kg spools. But, at the very least, I hope you're buying the 1kg spools wholesale now.. a lot of companies (Elegoo, Polymaker, Sovol, Eryone) will sell to you in bulk and the prices are really good.

[@macymakes3d]

Yes! You were the inspiration waaay back on video 1 or 2 lol. I do still need to get better at finding the wholesale deals. Always improvements to be made!

[@Kebnei]

The background music reminds me of the call sound on skype. It actually really stressed me out thinking someone was calling me :)

[@macymakes3d]

Sorry for the stress :)

[@rgitzelify]

I really appreciate seeing your day-to-day activities. Running a little business isn't all just fun cool things. 🙂 For humidity, you can get little battery-powered sensors with displays for a couple bucks a piece, to show humidity and temperature. There are a bunch of different mounts on Printables, so you can scatter them all about the room, to get a sense of how much dehumidifying you need.

[@macymakes3d]

Thanks! Definitely something I'll be looking into!

[@PLr1c3r]

There's desiccant holders you can print to install in the front bay of the AMS units. They also provide a spot for a hygrometer to show the actual relative humidity instead of the 1-5 rating in the slicer.

[@macymakes3d]

I'll look into it thanks! :)

[@NickBR57]

​@@macymakes3dthey work well but there are many designs and you need to choose carefully. The thin ones are not robust enough...

[@nixxon6261]

Reprack system was the best thing iv ever done for my workspace. I like to vacuum seal my spools with silica bags, then store them on the rack. Its overkill but i feel like its good for me since i have 60 rolls that i wont use within the next few months. You fly threw spools so its not as vital. Also the AMS pods with silica beads is amazing, they last for months! Keep killing it lady.

[@macymakes3d]

Thank you so much :) I'll vacuum seal some if I don't plan on using them, but I also love looking at all the fun colors right now lol

[@NickBR57]

New to my feed so - thanks! Personally I dont keep filament unwrapped and I think you need nowhere near the height between rows and fould get a lot more on that wall with 250mm spacing, but thats a petsonal choice. Nice to see a relaxed video of day-to-day work.

[@macymakes3d]

Thanks! I definitely need to move them closer together.

[@junioroleary5678]

My favorite site you are doing a great job! thanks for teaching and sharing with all of us

[@Kaiurai]

I caught one of your vlogs about your small print farm come up in my feed, and seeing the insight and growth of a newer business person/creator has been awesome. The butane torch trick you mentioned in your other video has been great too! Subscribing!

[@knitterscarlet]

Have you thought about pre-packaging your business card and a mini? I do my things like that whilst watching tv. Put a film on and package away. Then when you need to put one in an order, you just need to pick up the little bag

[@macymakes3d]

Great idea! Would definitely save me time when packaging :)

[@TalkingSasquach]

KZbin and selling 3D prints and hacking gadgets is my long-term full time job goal! I appreciate you sharing your experience!

[@macymakes3d]

Definitely possible! Thanks for watching :)

[@nanoman81]

Great job Macy!

[@macymakes3d]

Thank you :) Glad to see you still here

[@NWGR]

Those came out great Macy, nicely done! I need to eith print some of these or make some shelves specifically for filament storage. I store my PETG in those sterilite 20 quart boxes with the same desiccant beads and it works well. I dry all my PETG with a food dehydrator before storing or using. My PLA I don't really do anything special with unless it becomes brittle, then it gets dried. Your series on running a small print farm has been fantastic! Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂

[@macymakes3d]

Thank you so much :) I'm glad you're enjoying the videos!

[@PhotoGuyOmaha]

I love your channel and insight!! Two comments... you obviously need as many spool racks as you can fit. I noticed all of the unused space between your shelves. You don't need all that 'white space'. Move your second rack up and put a 4th shelf in. Don't bend over to get to your filament off of shelves that are lower than you already showed (yes, put a shelf low too, but that is for stuff you don't use often or your excess inventory). Also, because you are in a basement and because of your stated concern about humidity, that is a lot of unprotected spools to also manage moisture with. Before you get too far into this, and with or without the purchase of a dehumidifier, I would weigh a brand new spool and then weigh it once a week to see how much water you are absorbing (obviously not using that spool until your test ends). You have a large variety of filament, so I know some of them probably sit for a while untouched (or sit a while until you finish off the spool). Drying filament makes it better but it is still gradually degraded. That is a lot of open filament (that you used to store in dry boxes) that may cause you to do a LOT of extra work (drying, failed prints, discovering that the filament is still troublesome after drying). One day, three weeks, maybe six weeks, maybe more, you just might start struggling with your prints. Figure out your current humidity. Get that dehumidifier installed sooner than later. And weigh that fresh spool frequently to undersand moisture issues so that your production does not suddenly come to a crawl.

[@macymakes3d]

Thanks for the tips!

[@Koenzie83]

Tape advise: Automatic tape dispencer, cheap at Uncle Ali or even at Amazon, huge timesaver

[@UniversalGamer647]

almost at 12k subs well done :)

[@sethbraunstein2552]

You can schedule pickups with the post office so you don't have to spend time going there. I wasted so much time driving to the post office to drop off packages, and now my postal carrier picks them up. I also leave him snacks and drinks, and he's been awesome with answering questions and the general pickups

[@macymakes3d]

Yeah I wish... Our postal worker won't even deliver our packages to our house because our driveway is too steep and unpaved. I'd have to leave everything by the road and I don't really want to do that. Good to know for the future though.

[@JakeThompson]

You Punched 10K in the face.. I like watching channels grow like this.

[@macymakes3d]

:) Road to 20k now

[@ToddRafferty]

If your reprack system grows, I highly recommend picking up a laser level, it cuts down the planning dramatically.

[@ToddRafferty]

And, you actually don't need clamps for the reprack system. If you look at the underside of the braces, you'll see that there's screw holes. If you find the appropriate screws, you can screw it into the brace, and the tip of the screw will press against the rods, and keep it from sliding.

[@macymakes3d]

Yes! I definitely need a laser level. And good to know for the clamps. I have the plastite screws so hopefully that's what I need.

[@daveolson9424]

I did the same rack. But I spaced mine as close as I could.. you could easily get 4 or even 5 racks if you space them out.. looking good

[@macymakes3d]

Nice! Yeah I definitely need to move mine closer together

[@partsdave8943]

You can fit more rows on your wall. Tighten up the spacing.

[@bryanfoster362]

Hi Macy, love your videos! I noticed that the filament spools are about the same height as the shelf brackets, so if you needed more room you can always move the racks closer together.

[@macymakes3d]

Yep, I'll definitely be moving them closer together. Need more space lol

[@michaelschuler8984]

I love my RepRack and yours looks great too. I thing I might suggest is you put them closer together you really only need 2" or so spacing and you can still even put Boxed filament in that space. I started with 2 Racks and now have 5 and need to print some more so you will use the space.

[@macymakes3d]

Yes I definitely need to move them closer. I severely underestimated how many spools I had lol

[@gfixler]

I love those Sterilite gasket boxes. I standardized on those for storing yarn. I got into knitting and crochet, and spinning yarn, and now I have thousands of skeins. I can't fit all of it in gasket boxes, despite having dozens of them in the 4(?) sizes, but I like that I can keep things like moths away from all the good stuff. Never had a pest problem, but also don't want to tempt fate.

[@knitterscarlet]

Hi from a fellow knitter/spinner who has a lifetime worth of yarn and fibre, now slowly building my filament collection

[@gfixler]

@@knitterscarlet 👋👋👋

[@Dave_D.]

I'm still using those same Sterilite bins (6 pack from WallyWorld was the cheapest - though now it looks like a single might be a better deal), I even designed a cradle to keep the rolls off the bottom so you can put a tray of desiccant in there (up to 14 downloads on Printables LOL)...while they don't seal perfectly (I'm going to experiment w/ different gaskets one of these days), I feel it's a little better than leaving my filament out, but you probably go through it a lot faster so it's not sitting around long. I try to keep the same colors in each bin so I can just find the one I need easier.

[@macymakes3d]

Yeah the bins worked well, I just had to open and close them too often and it became too much of a hassle. Now they'll be used for PETG which I don't use quite as often. Maybe I'll look for your tray to help with the desiccant!

[@jon31394]

Think you can do a walkthrough of how you design your cool nameplates?

[@servant74]

Adam Savage did a small room dehumidifier in a glass front file cabinet to keep filament dry. He could feed directly from spools in the cabinet. Just.for ideas 😎

[@macymakes3d]

Sounds cool! I'll see if I can find it :)

[@Andyah]

u could prob put the racks closer together , that was a big space between them

[@UniversalGamer647]

i been using the eibos easdry but a lot of people swear by the new sunlu S4 filament dryer that has 4 slots for spools which might be something you will want to look into :)

[@macymakes3d]

I've got the Eibos polythemus. Hoping to get the sunlu S4 soon :)

[@AroundTampaBay]

glad things are going good for you. im late to this game but hope things take off for me. Love to ask you some questions some day.

[@macymakes3d]

Ask away!

[@nathankean7968]

Just thinking it may be a better use of that wall if you put the reprack system closer together vertically.

[@macymakes3d]

Yes, after installing them I realized they were too far apart. I'll definitely be moving them closer.

[@corzerlowe3107]

Hi’ Macy, I’ve been enjoying your videos and was wondering where you got stl’s for Desiccant holders? Please and thank you Corzer 👍🇦🇺

[@macymakes3d]

Here's the one I printed - makerworld.com/en/models/158496?from=search#profileId-173988

[@Mikabellaa]

Huh that’s wild I use that same desiccant and it’s always gotten really really dark but never green like yours haha

[@macymakes3d]

I live in a VERY humid place lol

[@rambokd]

I also use the desiccant boxes that fit in the front of the AMS, you are in a humid area so more is better. Do you microwave the beads to reuse or do you have a dryer? Also it looks like there is room to fit another row between what you have spaced out.

[@macymakes3d]

Yep definitely need to move them closer together. I haven't actually dried them yet but I plan to use a toaster oven I think.

[@jcollazo05]

Hey can you help me understand why you print s many "wights" are they weights? am confused :) I noticed they are not in your store either , enjoy your videos though great seeing entrepreneur in their natural habitats!

[@petekeightley2973]

Another great vlog, thank you. Just curious, where can i get the STL files to print my own little tubs for my AMS for the beads?

[@macymakes3d]

makerworld.com/en/models/158496?from=search#profileId-173988

[@petekeightley2973]

​@@macymakes3d Thank you ❤

[@joewozniak2231]

Could just ziplock each roll of filament with a packet of desiccant. Will still sit on that rack. Won’t look as nice but you can be sure it’s dry.

[@fadybenmoussa2114]

life goals of a 3d printer (person)

[@bakkenlab]

I’m new to 3D printing, but for the barbell plates, are you only printing one at a time? I’m wondering if you could add a support layer after one finishes and print another on top of it? Essentially stacking them in one go so you wouldn’t have to print one by one

[@boqs]

I'm new too 3d printing too (6 months~), but I can share my thoughts on this. The surface finish is best on the flat top, so adding supports between each layer would add more manual labour in both removing supports, and also might reduce the quality of the finish. I think the added manual labour is the most important factor here when running a business.

[@geezlix]

Really enjoying your channel Macy! What service do you use to print your shipping labels? I work for an online shipping company and I'd love to see if I can help you out with some shipping costs

[@macymakes3d]

I just use Etsy and Shopify shipping. They give pretty good discounts but I'm open to hearing about how you could help! Send me an email if you'd like. [e-mail]

[@OxfordStan]

Great video! Do you have a good way to dry the beads? I’m looking at printing containers for inside the spools when stored.

[@jakobhansen1396]

Heat them gently up. I tried with som in a PP container with a clear lid placed on the heatbed and slowly increased the heat until condensation appeared, took the lid off and left it on the bed for half an hour or so

[@macymakes3d]

I'm going to try using a toaster oven. I'll report back in a future video!

[@my7hik]

Your videos made it to my “standard, to watch” about a month ago, when you got recommended by TY. Great progress, great work!

[@macymakes3d]

That's so wild. Thank you so much :)

[@hippopotamus86]

I enjoy your videos. There's plenty of 3d printing company vloggers with 100's of printers, but that's just too far out for me. I like seeing how much can be done with one person, in their home with several printers. I'm still on my first P1S, and I'm yet to break even on the cost, but that's just with two products.

[@macymakes3d]

Thank you! Hopefully it'll be cool to look back one day and see how far we've come :)

[@truantray]

It would be much more efficient to store the spools in ziplock freezer bags to prevent moisture. These drying solutions really only dry the outermost roll of the filament spool.

[@SianaGearz]

Depends. If you keep them dehumidified for a long time continuously, well the moisture in the filament continuously slowly equalises and lowers. Heat agitates the moisture exchange.

[@SianaGearz]

I don't think a dehumidified environment is good for human well-being. So i don't like filament shelves of this general kind. Maybe if it was a separate sealed-ish closet with a dehumidifier and filament shelves, that would be good i suppose.

[@petricskanal]

He, great video @13:36 shelves for 3D printers. Which are they?

[@macymakes3d]

The Kobalt shelves from Lowes

[@RestingRamblings]

New to 3d printing and really like your channel. Can you put in a link for the zoo 3d figures, couldn't find it?

[@macymakes3d]

www.patreon.com/zou3d/posts Here you go! Thanks for watching :)

[@bondjw07]

Any idea why everyone suggests PETG for REPRACK? I was hoping to use PLA since they won't be in direct sunlight and that's the material I have on hand. If I do need to use PETG, does it need to be both the brackets and the cleats?

[@macymakes3d]

Use PETG for strength. Yes it needs to be both. It prints pretty easy, especially Bambu's PETG. Just slow down the speeds a little.

[@validusgg8380]

So it seems humidity is a killer for FDM printing? I am new to FDM, been Resin printing for a while, but FDM has different things you need to be aware of.

[@NickBR57]

For some filaments. PETG is notorious, the problems of humidity are over-emphasised for PLA. That said, I store all filament in vacuum bags once open and for PETG and ABS/ASA as well as TPU, I will dry before use if it's been open any length of time or the bag has lost its vacuum (which happens with the big brand far more than with some Chinese clones). When you start visiting 3D printing forums, take the automatic "dry your filament!" responses to all quality questions with a pinch of salt. In my experience it's almost always something else if you just take a few precautions like ziplock bags . If you have Bambu with AMS, do t use the included dessicant, cuck it out and print some gel bead holders for the rear compartments and between the feeders and use colour-changing gel beads - cheap, reusable and they don't dissolve into a gooey mess that gums up the AMS innards, as the BL dessicant can

[@techyjames1945]

Question have you had to respool any spools because it was either too small or big of a spool for the AMS? If so which respooler mod do you use. I have tried two different versions and they always seem to do a loose respool.

[@macymakes3d]

I've never respooled. Might be a good idea for a future video though. I've only had a couple spools not fit in the AMS thankfully.

[@techyjames1945]

@@macymakes3d I would definitely like to see that video. The specific case I had was with a Translucent Blue filament I got on Amazon. It turned out to be just a hair too wide to fit in the AMS.

[@mars3142]

Where did you dry the desiccant? Within the Bambu or on other locations?

[@macymakes3d]

I'll dry it in the toaster oven or microwave

[@GeorgesEmmanuelArnaud]

Amazing legs ! I need to go back to the gym !

[@macymakes3d]

Lol thanks for noticing

[@NickBR57]

​@@macymakes3dhard no to. Nice hair too

[@PhilipThonbo]

bubble envelopes ?

[@davidmann4436]

Macy, I noticed you put a cardboard spool of Overture filament in your AMS, without printed spool adapters. Are you finding that Overture cardboard spoils do not need to adapter rings?

[@Abbrevitech]

I came here looking for this comment. Macy triggered my AMS OCD. 😂

[@davidmann4436]

I am not trying to be a smarty here, just wondering, as BBL instructs against not using the adapters for cardboard spool in the standard AMS for the P and X series systems, as the concern is that the spools could shred from the AMS rollers.

[@Abbrevitech]

@@davidmann4436 You are correct, of course. AMS doesn't like cardboard spools without taped edges or adapter of some kind. Gunks up rollers and introduces contaminant debris into the system. I've seen Macy use what looked like edge adapters on Overture spools in previous videos.

[@macymakes3d]

I've never used adapters, but I have taped the edges with electrical tape. That sometimes causes more issues though. I don't do a ton of color changes (most prints just have 1) so I haven't had many issues with the cardboard spools. I do try and limit the color changes because I'd imagine all the back and forth would start to break down the cardboard.

[@khalifah0]

Do you do any of the design work for the products you sell or are they all products from Cults, printables, makerworld etc….. ?

[@macymakes3d]

Everything on my Etsy is my own design. On my Shopify I have some other creators’ designs along with the minis from zou3d.

[@StinePlays]

What kind of desiccant containers were those? And what material should I use to print them?

[@macymakes3d]

makerworld.com/en/models/158496?from=search#profileId-173988 I just used some scrap PLA

[@StinePlays]

@@macymakes3d thank you!

[@MyManRaptor]

You should make that optical allusion that someone (totally not me) sent you…

[@marcellussaunders4200]

Did you ever have trouble with humidity? What state are you in?

[@macymakes3d]

NC. It doesn't affect my PLA but I have to be careful with PETG

[@neonblowfish]

You need to raise your work table, it's too low. You're back will thank me later!

[@macymakes3d]

Lol yes I do for sure

[@JoshuaRilliet]

Hi Macyk Could you please put a link to the silica gel balls pls?

[@macymakes3d]

amzn.to/3zvP6fR Here's the ones I bought but I think there are smaller and cheaper options out there. These work well though.

[@JoshuaRilliet]

@@macymakes3d Thx 👍

[@PeterAgostiniJdcap26]

Why didn’t you use pvc pipe?

[@macymakes3d]

The pipes are stronger and were still pretty cheap

[@gaveintothedarkness]

Link to the pipe cutter please? that thing is awesome.

[@macymakes3d]

www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-1-4-in-to-1-in-5-16-to-1-1-8-OD-Copper-Tube-Cutter/1002650686 Buy some extra blades but it works really well!

[@gaveintothedarkness]

@@macymakes3d Thank you!

[@charlesvrogers]

HI, You might try the Sunlu S4. I run mine all the time. Love me some hot filament. Have a good day

[@UniversalGamer647]

how do you "draw" them? whats your process?

[@macymakes3d]

I use Adboe Illustrator

[@Danielo515]

How can I get hose animal designs again?

[@macymakes3d]

Search Zou3d on patreon

[@thenextlayer]

FIRST!

[@michaelbudde721]

Hey Macy! I love watching your videos! Which software do you use for the nameplates? I'm trying different CAD software but maybe I´m thinking to complicated

[@macymakes3d]

I use Adobe Illustrator and Tinkercad

[@michaelbudde721]

@@macymakes3d oh really! I thought Tinkercad is to simple but maybe i´m wrong ;)