Allan Bennett Posted January 1, 2023 Share Posted January 1, 2023 I notice that Ender and others sell heated cabinets to keep filament dry. Does anyone in this forum use them? Is keeping filament in a centrally-heated house not good enough? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted January 1, 2023 Share Posted January 1, 2023 No special storage methods used here, other than not opening a new pack of filament until it is needed. Filament is stored in the open, on it's reels, in centrally heated workshop. Haven't experienced any issues, other than one reel of filament which from opening would fracture when at rest between prints - never failed in use though and suspect it wasn't storage related since it manifested itself from the very first use of the filament, fresh from the packet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Lee Posted January 1, 2023 Share Posted January 1, 2023 I often go weeks/months between prints so I vacuum store. I find the reels will just fit in the 28cm wide rolls sold for food storage, in conjunction with a vacuum/sealing machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilC57 Posted January 1, 2023 Share Posted January 1, 2023 (edited) I thought about buying the Sunlu filament drier box available at Amazon, until is saw this review, which points out that many driers which do not have fans (merely a box with a heating element) just drive out the moisture in the filament, which then settles as condensation on the inside of the box, therefore not effectively removing the moisture, as the filament is then sitting in a warm humid environment. There are designs online for passive drier boxes using calcium chloride crystals too, but I’ve always found it sufficient just to keep my reels in vacuum bags with a small bag of silica gel, and I’ve never had any obvious issues with moisture from just doing this. Edited January 1, 2023 by EvilC57 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedBaron Posted January 1, 2023 Share Posted January 1, 2023 Most houses have an airing cupboard. that might prove suitable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Bennett Posted January 1, 2023 Author Share Posted January 1, 2023 Oh dear! Modelling equipment and/or supplies in the airing cupboard is a no-no here! What 'issues' could there be from moisture, and how much moisture can a plastic absorb? For the moment I'm going to just keep it in the house rather than in the cold workshop. And, obviously, not open a new reel until needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Billinge Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 When not being used I put the filament back in it's plastic bag with a clothes peg holding it closed and the supplied dessicant pack . I haven't had any problems so far with moisture. KB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilC57 Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 (edited) On 01/01/2023 at 20:22, Allan Bennett said: Oh dear! Modelling equipment and/or supplies in the airing cupboard is a no-no here! What 'issues' could there be from moisture, and how much moisture can a plastic absorb? For the moment I'm going to just keep it in the house rather than in the cold workshop. And, obviously, not open a new reel until needed. Filament in the airing cupboard is a no-no here too. Not because Mrs E wouldn’t allow it, but because the cupboard is rammed full already! I haven’t proven this either way, but from reading I’ve done, if filament absorbs too much moisture (and I agree, it seems odd that plastic can absorb moisture) it makes it brittle, which can cause breakages when it goes through the feed tube on the printer, and bubbling in the hot end which can affect the print as the moisture boils off. Edited January 5, 2023 by EvilC57 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying Squirrel Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 In the UK I highly doubt this will be an issue for the hobbyist, more humid climates or keeping it in the garden then maybe.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 1 hour ago, EvilC57 said: (and I agree, it seems odd that plastic can absorb moisture) I know that it's nylon but when producing nylon wheels for kart racing, after injection moulding they were boiled for a number of hours to put back in the moisture removed during the injection moulding process. If this was not carried out the wheels were too brittle and fractured in use! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 back in the day, we used to boil nylon propellers to try and make them less brittle..... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Bennett Posted January 5, 2023 Author Share Posted January 5, 2023 Ah yes, I remember the thing about boiling nylon props. But I wonder, is the boiling water treatment similar to heat-treating metals, not that water is actually absorbed? 6 hours ago, EvilC57 said: . . . I haven’t proven this either way, but from reading I’ve done, if filament absorbs too much moisture (and I agree, it seems odd that plastic can absorb moisture) it makes it brittle, which can cause breakages when it goes through the feed tube on the printer, and bubbling in the hot end which can affect the print as the moisture boils off. I've just Googled PLA, and it says it's created by "condensation of lactic acid with loss of water", so I can see where the moisture absorbtion might feature. Alarmingly the same page says that at normal room temperature it can last for 'a very long time -- say 12 to 18 years', but objects 3D printed with it can last '. . . from a month, to 2 years up to many years.' 🤔 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted January 6, 2023 Share Posted January 6, 2023 Eek. Regular inspection needed......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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