FOLIO 12 Filament Swatch Rack & Comparison Cards

An organised library for the filaments you actually print. FOLIO 12 stores twelve removable swatch cards in an angled desktop rack. Each card has a recessed label area and four comparison windows with CAD floor thicknesses of 0.4, 0.8, 1.2 and 1.6 mm.

Twelve numbered slots, an 18-degree lean and a solid handling rim make samples easy to organise and remove. No clips, magnets, screws or mechanical assembly are required. A small three-width fit coupon and 2 mm tab are included.

DIMENSIONS AND FILES

Rack: 168 x 66 x 16 mm. Card: 54 x 38 x 2 mm. Nominal assembled height approximately 41 mm. Slots: 55 mm long and 2.8 mm wide normal to the lean. Nominal total clearance: 0.8 mm through card thickness and 1.0 mm across its width. These are loose sliding storage slots, not a friction lock. Label recess: 44 x 7 x 0.4 mm; optional printable paper labels: 42 x 5 mm.

Print one rack and up to twelve copies of the comparison card. The coupon and tab are optional sizing aids. Matching STEP solids, editable CadQuery source and instructions are included. Compatibility with other swatch systems is not claimed.

PRINTING

Print all files flat-base down, as exported. Suggested starting point: PLA, 0.4 mm nozzle, 0.20 mm layers including the first layer, three walls, five top/bottom layers, supports off. Rack and coupon: 15% gyroid. Card and tab: 100% rectilinear, so comparison windows are not affected by arbitrary internal infill. Use your calibrated printer and filament temperatures.

Reference PrusaSlicer 2.9.6 simulation: rack approximately 6 h 34 min / 86.6 g; card approximately 25 min / 4.4 g, assuming PLA density 1.24 g/cm3. All parts sliced on a simulated 180 mm bed without reported support warnings. These are reference estimates, not measured prints. Printer-specific G-code is not supplied.

FIT AND USE

Try the tab in the 2.6, 2.8 and 3.0 mm coupon slots along their 18-degree lean. The production rack uses 2.8 mm. It should slide in and lift out without force. If only 3.0 mm works, adjust calibration or editable CAD and repeat before printing the full rack. Insert cards lower-edge first along the lean; lift them out to compare in consistent lighting. Handle by the solid rim, especially around the deliberately thin 0.4 mm window.

VALIDATION AND DISCLOSURE

Digital checks covered CAD solids, watertight/manifold meshes, winding, connected components, selected wall thicknesses, assembly interference at all twelve positions and reference slicing. Depositing toolpaths confirm 2/4/6/8 layers in the comparison windows at 0.20 mm.

This is a comparison aid, not a certified colour standard, calibrated optical instrument or mechanical material test. Actual opacity and colour depend on filament, settings and lighting.

Original independent design for JLJ Designs. CC BY-NC 4.0: credit JLJ Designs, identify modifications, no commercial use without separate permission.