Filament Storage - Dryers - Desiccant - Etc?

[Nifty]

It's been a while since we've had this discussion. And I don't think we've had any long threads about this.

What are y'all using as filament dryers, storage, desiccant, etc. these days?

For me:

• Dryer: Rarely need one, but when I do, a food dehydrator.
• Storage:
  • Vac-bags with ziploc type seal on the top and either a hand pump or electric pump to vacate the air. I also put desiccant in with the filament.
  • Air-tight plastic storage boxes with a ton of desiccant
• Desiccant: I use the blue-to-pink silica gel beads, and I put them in the microwave on low to recharge them. Gotta be careful not to get them too hot.

I also have a bunch of the cheap digital humidity meters in all my boxes. Usually hovering between 10% - 20%

 

[Epatcola]

I have a cheap circular food dehydrator with cut out trays that will take 3 1kg spools and go up to 70C. I use it on most new spools and measure weight loss to know it was worthwhile.

I have a load of paper sachets of silica gel and I dry them in the dehydrator. I store all spools in zip lock vacuum bags with about 10g of silica gel. I use vacuum bags because they are strong and seal well. Vaccing them down is a bit pointless from the humidity point of view. 1g of silica gel can absorb all the water in about 15l of saturated air at room temperature so leaving some air in the bag is irrelevant. They fit back in the boxes easier when vacced down though.

I also have a couple Sunlu S1 type dryers modified with circulation fans and PTFE tube outlets. They are not great dryers. I use them as external spool feeders which can keep fussy filaments dry while printing.

 

[Artur5]

Guys, if you intend to print solely PLA or PETG, a food dehydrator is just fine, although dedicated driers are in general more convenient and also accurate regarding temperatures. On the other part, if you want to try filaments much more sensible to moisture consider investing in a dedicated filament drier that reaches at least 85C/185F. Trying to dry PC, PA or TPU at 60-65C is a waste of time and energy.