Description
A spool runs out in the middle of a nine-hour print. That is the whole problem, and it has two bad answers: throw the print away, or trust a loose knot that will jam inside the hotend twenty minutes later. The good answer is a short piece of PTFE tubing with the right bore, pressed over both filament ends so the join passes through the extruder as if it were a single continuous strand.
These connectors are 37 millimetres long with a 1.8 millimetre inner bore and a 2.6 millimetre outer diameter, supplied 100 or 200 to a bag. The bore tolerance is the entire specification: too tight and the filament binds, too loose and the two ends separate under extruder tension. The body is virgin PTFE, which is the only common material with a low enough friction coefficient to let filament pass without drag and a high enough temperature ceiling to survive being mounted close to a hotend.
The splice itself takes about fifteen seconds. Cut both filament ends square, chamfer the tips, push them into the tube from each side until they meet in the middle, and feed the join through. Because the tube is opaque white, mark the join point with a marker so you know when it has cleared the extruder and can stop watching. When the print finishes, the tube is reusable after a trim.
The print does not have to end because the spool did.
What You Are Actually Buying
✦ 1.8mm inner bore, 2.6mm outer diameter, 37mm length: sized for 1.75mm filament with a clean sliding fit.
✦ Virgin PTFE body: the lowest practical friction and a temperature ceiling that tolerates hotend proximity.
✦ Lets a mid-print spool change continue as one continuous strand instead of a restart.
✦ Chamfered ends of the filament guide into the bore without snagging or shaving material.
✦ Reusable: trim the used end and the connector serves the next splice.
✦ 100 or 200 pieces per bag, because a busy printer goes through them faster than expected.
✦ Also serves as a spare PTFE liner section for the extruder path.
Technical Specifications
- Material Virgin PTFE
- Inner diameter 1.8 mm
- Outer diameter 2.6 mm
- Length 37 mm
- Filament compatibility 1.75 mm filament
- Quantity options 100 pieces or 200 pieces per bag
- Colour White, opaque
- Function Filament splice connector, extruder liner section
- Temperature PTFE service range, suitable near hotend assemblies
- Reusability Reusable after trimming the used end
- Origin Mainland China
Where This Belongs
Print farms use them as standard consumables: a spool change mid-job costs more in machine time than the connector does, so the tube lives next to the printer. Hobbyists use a splice to finish a long print when the remaining filament is short, or to use up partial spools that would otherwise sit in a drawer. Prototyping shops splice a colour change at a layer height to produce a two-tone part without pausing the machine. Maintenance technicians replace a worn PTFE liner in the extruder path with a cut section from the same bag. In every case the value is continuity: the machine keeps running and the operator does not have to be present at the exact moment the spool ends.
Questions Worth Asking
Will this work with 1.75mm filament?
Yes. The 1.8mm bore is sized for 1.75mm filament, leaving a small clearance that lets the strand slide without binding. A badly ovalised or heavily textured filament may drag, so trim the end square and chamfer it before inserting.
How do I make the splice?
Cut both filament ends square, chamfer the tips with a blade, push them into the tube from opposite sides until they meet near the middle, then feed the assembly through the extruder as normal. The whole operation takes about fifteen seconds.
Does the join affect print quality?
A clean butt joint inside the tube passes through the hotend without a visible artefact in most prints. If the ends are cut at an angle or not fully seated, the join can leave a small blob; that is a preparation problem, not a connector problem.
Can the tube be reused?
Yes. Once the splice has cleared, slide the tube off, trim the end that was compressed, and use it again. The material degrades slowly, so a connector survives many splices before the fit loosens.
Is it suitable as a hotend liner?
It is a common workaround for a worn PTFE liner section in the extruder path, and the 2.6mm outer diameter fits standard fittings. Check the bore and outer diameter against your specific hotend before ordering, since some assemblies specify a different liner size.
How many should I keep on hand?
A single-printer workshop typically uses a few per month, so 100 pieces is more than a year of supply. A print farm running several machines should take the 200-piece bag.
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