SUNLU Filament Connector Review – Does It Actually Work?

Introduction

SUNLU has released their SUNLU Filament Connector, a tool which many people will find useful in their 3D printing journeys.

Many users who print often tend to have small rolls of filament that may not be enough to print new models. Those filaments end up in a store somewhere or even thrown away leading to waste. With the new SUNLU Filament Connector, you can join your leftover filaments to get more filament that can be put to good use.

This article will be a simple review of the SUNLU filament connector. I will be going through the features, specifications, benefits, downsides, and unboxing.

Features

• Join Filaments
• Multi-Color Printing
• Fast and Precise Heating
• LCD Touch Controls

Join Filaments

The main feature of the SUNLU filament connector is that it helps you join leftover filament. Instead of having multiple spools of small quantities of filament that may not be able to successfully complete large models, you can just combine them.

This helps minimize waste and save costs. Once it’s set up, you can fuse the filaments within 10-15 seconds.

For best results, it is recommended that when joining the filaments, you make cuts at an angle on both filaments. This is to ensure that the contact area between both filaments is large enough to create a firm bond between them. Also, make sure you dry the filament before bonding.

Multi-Color Printing

Another great feature of the SUNLU filament connector is that it allows you to print different colors of filaments. To achieve multi-color prints, you don’t need to keep watch to know when to pause your prints and swap filaments. Simply, join the filaments and let your printer get to work. As a result, you get unique, vibrant, and personalized 3D prints either in multi-color or gradients.

Fast and Precise Heating

The SUNLU filament connector heats up to 185°C in about 3 minutes, improving efficiency and saving time. The temperature readings are very precise, with ±3°C  deviation. This ensures a smooth and precise operation for fine welding results.

Also, it can reach a maximum temperature of 240°C, which is within the printing temperature range of filaments like PLA, PETG, and ABS. You can check out the table below for more information regarding the recommended temperature ranges for various filaments.

Filament Type	Heating Time (min)	Recommended Melting Temperature	Recommended Melting Time (s)
PCL	1	85 °C	5-6
PLA	3	185°C	7-8
PETG	3-4	210°C	7-8
ABS	3-4	220°C	7-8
PA./PC	5	230°C	9-10

LCD Touch Controls

The SUNLU Filament Connector has a built-in window touchscreen for real-time monitoring and control of the fusion process. It provides real-time temperature information, ensuring users are informed of each step and the equipment’s status.

Also, you can adjust the temperature of the filament connector or even select any of the preset temperatures already baked into it.

Specifications

• Hardware Dimension: 111×79.4x38mm
• Filament Diameter: 1.75mm
• Operating Environment Temperature/Humidity: 10-25°C / ≤ 90%
• Maximum Temperature Resistance: ≤ 250°C
• Net Weight: 143g
• Filament Compatibility: PLA/ABS/ PETG/PC/PCL
• Power Input Specification:  5V 2A
• Standby Current: 15mA
• Maximum Working Current: 2A

Benefits

• Compatibility with a wide range of filament types.
• Safe and very easy to set up for use.
• Intuitive controls for temperature adjustments.
• Helps save leftover filament, hence reducing overall cost.
• Creates unique and personalized patterns when printing.
• Fast and efficient heating.
• Lightweight, portable, and compact.
• Excellent welding results.

Downsides

• Only compatible with 1.75mm filaments.
• Need to buy PTFE tubes from time to time.
• Each PTFE tube can only be used once.

Unboxing & Assembly

The SUNLU filament connector comes in a small handy box.

In the box, you’ll find the device along with its accessories which include its USB cable, PTFE tubes (200), and an instructions manual.

You don’t get a plug with the device, but you can use the one for your phone. Make sure that the plug you get meets the specifications required to power the device.

Simply plug in the device and you’re good to go. Use the screen to navigate through the preset temperatures for your filament. You can also tweak the preset settings if needed.

You can check out this unboxing from SUNLU for more information on how to use the filament connector.

Customer Reviews

One user said that he got one because he prints almost every day and fills the large bed of his printers. Sometimes, he has had to open a new spool knowing that the other spool won’t be enough to finish the model while he’s at work or asleep. He also mentioned that his run-out sensors would pause the prints but it would leave the printer idle for hours till he’s able to change the spool.

Another user said that he ordered the filament connector when it was first announced and he’s happy he took a chance on it. He said it works fine but you need to be very precise when joining the filaments. 

You can check out this review video from 3D Print Stuff. He goes step-by-step from unboxing to selecting the right plug and fusing leftover filaments together to print a 3D Benchy.

Here’s another video from Uncle Jessy as he joins various spools of leftover filament, re-spools them together, and shares his overall thoughts on the filament connector.