Welcome to the Filament Foundry guide! Learn how to track your 3D printing filament inventory, monitor usage, and reduce waste across your projects.
Getting Started
Filament Foundry helps you keep track of all your 3D printing materials in one place. Whether you're managing a small personal collection or a larger inventory for a business, this app makes it easy to know what you have, what you've used, and when to restock.
Key Features:
- Track filament types, colors, and quantities
- Log completed and failed prints
- Monitor material usage over time
- Get alerts when spools run low
- Organize by brand, type, and color
Adding Filament to Your Inventory
Start by adding all your filament spools to the app. For each spool, you'll record:
- Brand: Manufacturer name (e.g., Hatchbox, eSun, Overture)
- Type: Material type (PLA, PETG, ABS, TPU, etc.)
- Color: Color name or description
- Weight: Initial weight in grams
Pro Tip: Weigh your spools including the spool core itself when you first add them. This gives you a baseline to track usage accurately.
Tracking Print Usage
After each print job, log your usage to keep your inventory accurate:
- Select the spool you used from your inventory
- Enter the weight used (or weigh the spool again to calculate)
- Add print details: project name
- Save the entry
The app will automatically update your remaining filament weight and show you how much you've used over time.
Failed Prints:
Don't forget to log failed prints too! This helps you track wasted material and identify problem filaments or settings. Mark prints as "failed"
Reports & Insights
Use Filament Foundry's reporting features to understand your printing patterns:
- Usage by Type: See which materials you use most often
- Cost Analysis: Track how much you're spending on filament
- Success Rate: Monitor your print success vs. failure ratio
- Monthly Trends: View usage patterns over time
These insights help you make smarter purchasing decisions and optimize your printing workflow.
Tips & Best Practices
- Weigh regularly: Re-weigh spools every few prints to ensure accuracy. Small errors compound over time.
- Color consistency: Use consistent color naming (e.g., "Red" vs "Crimson") to make searching easier.
Troubleshooting
Inventory doesn't match reality?
If your recorded amounts don't match your physical spools, try these steps:
- Re-weigh all active spools and update them manually
- Check that you're including spool core weight in your measurements
- Review recent print logs for any missed entries
Need to adjust a past entry?
You can edit or delete previous print logs from the usage history. Just tap the entry and select "Edit" or "Delete" from the menu.
Need More Help?
Still have questions? We're here to help!