Waste Tracking
Waste Tracking gives you full insight into how much filament is wasted during printing — AMS purge, flushing during material changes, and support material — and what it costs you.
Go to: https://localhost:3443/#waste
Waste categories
3DPrintForge distinguishes between three types of waste:
| Category | Source | Typical amount |
|---|---|---|
| AMS purge | Color change in AMS during multicolor print | 5–30 g per change |
| Material change flush | Cleaning during switch between different materials | 10–50 g per change |
| Support material | Support structures removed after print | Varies |
AMS purge tracking
AMS purge data is pulled directly from MQTT telemetry and G-code analysis:
- Grams per color change — calculated from G-code purge block
- Number of color changes — counted from print log
- Total purge consumption — sum over the selected period
Bambu Studio has settings for purge volume per color combination. Reduce the purge volume for color pairs with low color difference (e.g. white → light gray) to save filament.
Efficiency calculation
Efficiency is calculated as:
Efficiency % = (model material / total consumption) × 100
Total consumption = model material + purge + support material
Example:
- Model: 45 g
- Purge: 12 g
- Support: 8 g
- Total: 65 g
- Efficiency: 69%
Efficiency is shown as a trend chart over time to see if you are improving.
Waste cost
Based on registered filament prices, the following is calculated:
| Item | Calculation |
|---|---|
| Purge cost | Purge grams × price/gram per color |
| Support cost | Support grams × price/gram |
| Total waste cost | Sum of above |
| Cost per successful print | Waste cost / number of prints |
Waste per printer and material
Filter the view by:
- Printer — see which printer generates the most waste
- Material — see waste per filament type
- Period — day, week, month, year
The table view shows a ranked list with the highest waste first, including estimated cost.
Optimization tips
The system automatically generates suggestions to reduce waste:
- Flipped color order — If color A→B purges more than B→A, the system suggests swapping the order
- Merge color change layers — Groups layers with the same color to minimize changes
- Support structure optimization — Estimates support reduction by changing orientation
Purge calculations are estimated from G-code. Actual waste may vary 10–20% due to printer behavior.
Export and reporting
- Click Export waste data
- Select period and format (CSV / PDF)
- Waste data can be included in project reports and invoices as a cost item
See also Filament Analytics for a combined consumption overview.