Humidity is a 3D printer filament’s number one enemy. While we are lucky to be living near beautiful coastlines, the humidity caused by them can ruin our 3D printer filaments. If you keep encountering filament issues, such as brittleness, bubbling, and more during 3D printing, while already doing your best to store your filaments in a cool, dry place, maybe it’s time to buy a filament dryer. Here are signs that you badly need a filament dryer.
1. The filament bloats even though you only put it out during 3D printing
Sometimes, the humidity can be so high that your 3D printer filaments already bloat up during 3D printing. It’s difficult to prevent filaments from being exposed to moisture, especially in high-humidity areas, as they are left exposed during 3D printing, which is a process that takes hours and days. It is important to keep the filaments dry during 3D printing.
2. You can’t ensure that your filaments will be properly stored at all times
This is especially true with 3D printing labs, schools, and company settings. Many people will be using your 3D printers and filaments and there are bound to be a few who might leave filaments lying around. As such, you should always be prepared to dry them (and maybe leave a warning to store the filaments properly!).
3. You occasionally forget to store your filaments
Hey, it happens! No need to beat yourself up over it and you have to toss each exposed filament to the bin every time it happens. If you know you are forgetful, prepare for it by investing in a filament dryer.
4. The filaments still bloats even if you’ve been taking good care of them
Sometimes, bad things happen to good people. If you’ve been doing your best to keep your filaments dry and you still encounter filament issues during 3D printing, you have to accept that you’re living in a humid place and take steps to dry your filaments.
Best filament dryers & storage for 2022
Sunlu Filament Dryer Box
This dryer box is crucial to 3D printing in humid places. It combines filament drying and keeping the filament dry during 3D printing. Filaments can easily be fed into your 3D printer while being inside this box as it is equipped with rollers and a feed hole where the filament can go through.
Even when filament comes sealed in a bag, it still stands to be exposed to 25-50% of humidity. With the Sunlu Filament Dryer Box set at 40-55 degrees, the humidity can be reduced to 8-15% while seeing vast improvements in printing quality.
Polymaker PolyBox Version 2
This is a filament storage box that maintains an optimum printing environment while using them for 3D printing. It is capable of storing two 1kg filament rolls and one 3kg roll. It is equipped with a thermo-hygrometer to monitor the filaments inside the box.
Keep your filaments dry with these filament dryers and storage!
How do you keep your filaments dry? Let us know in the comments below!