From a user's perspective, what characteristics does a good filament dryer need to have (e.g. volume, drying result, etc.) The PrintDry PRO holds up to 4 spools of 3D printing filament at once, and even has adjustable temperature controls which make it especially ideal for PLA and ABS users. filament spool compatibleAfter installing the 3KG expansion part, Polyphemus expands from its original 210mm diameter to accommodate a larger 250mm diameter. This increase in size allows for the capacity to hold up to 3kg of filament. Eliminating moisture: A filament dryer will remove moisture from the filament, preventing issues like zits and voids resulting from the moisture.

Moreover, its transparent viewing window makes it easy to monitor what’s happening on the inside while the dehydrator does its thing. Additionally, this figure not only includes filament spools of the regular 1.75 diameter, but you can also fit in 3 mm filaments as well. This just makes Chefman the best filament dryer in terms of storability. The hygroscopicity of 3D printing filaments can be affected by various factors, including the chemical structure of the material, temperature, humidity, and storage conditions. The chemical structure of materials used in filaments can impact their hygroscopicity, with materials containing polar functional groups being more hygroscopic. Temperature can affect the ability of materials to absorb moisture from the air, while higher humidity levels result in a greater concentration of water vapor in the air and can increase the amount of moisture absorbed by the filament. Proper storage conditions, such as storing filaments in a sealed container with a desiccant or in a dry environment, can reduce the amount of moisture absorbed by the filament. Using a filament dryer can also help remove moisture from the filament before printing. By controlling the moisture content of filaments, it is possible to produce high-quality 3D printed objects with improved mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties.Rather than use an oven for this Nylon which can be troublesome and not temperature-accurate, he put the spool of Nylon in the filament dryer for 12 hours at 70°C (the maximum temperature) using the useful timer feature, and it completely dried the filament like it was a new spool.

A desiccant screams filament drying on a budget. It’s obviously the cheapest entry on the list, and works for maintaining the moisture levels of your filament without absorbing more afterwards.Compared with the mainstream filament dryers currently on the 3D printing market, we believe that Polyphemus is leading in terms of functionality. The mechanical strength of the printed object can be reduced if the filament is not dried properly before printing. The drying process can help remove the absorbed water and improve the mechanical properties of the printed object. Various studies have shown that drying the filament before printing can improve the mechanical properties of 3D printed objects made from different filaments. He previously tried other filament dryer boxes, but didn’t get results as good as with this one. An old 2-year spool of Nylon was giving him issues because it wasn’t sealed properly in a bag. One user who had many failed prints with TPU went out to research exactly why this was happening. After some time, he found out that TPU is actually very hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs plenty of moisture in the nearby environment. To use a desiccant, you have to get yourself an airtight container or bag that can comfortably store your 3D printer filament. The size of the container entirely depends on you.

In short, it does make your prints much better than they were before, but there are a few things that you should know about this dry box. It’s worth noting that while vacuum-sealed bags are the best way to keep away moisture and dust, they won’t dry out the filaments if they’ve already been exposed, nor will they control the temperature at which the filaments are stored. Some people use ovens to dry their filament, but not all ovens are calibrated so well at lower temperatures, so they may be a lot hotter than you actually set. Reduced waste: Because the filament will extrude from the nozzle in good condition, your 3D prints will always come out when they are good (assuming other factors are kept constant). He did mention though that the build quality in his opinion wasn’t at the highest level, but still works nonetheless.

If you’re really on a budget, or simply have no real use for the added features of commercial filament dryers, then your best option is standard vacuum seal bags. If you’ve bought your own filament recently, it more than likely came vacuum sealed. eSUN is a highly established name in the 3D printing world. They’re very well known for making high quality filament, environment-friendly resins, and now, they’ve come up with a brilliant filament dryer as well.