So I’ve seen a lot about storing filament in a moisture free environment, and there seems to be all manner of pricey contraptions to help with this. I’m sure this helps in certain use cases, but I’m just wondering if as a hobbiest who’s basically knocking out trinkets and prints of my 3d modelling, if I REALLY need to do this?
I’m basically wondering if I’d simply be able to get away with putting them in a basic air tight box in my spare room? (And not buying dehumidifyers etc etc.)
I live in London so the atmosphere isn’t particularly hot or humid. And whilst I’d obviously like to keep my filament in a useable condition, I don’t want to have to spend £100s on various dehumidifying boxes and the like to store x amount of filament spools. Especially if I start building up a collection of filament colours. I don’t really have the space or money to store them all in special storage solutions.
Don’t worry and just print. No problem storing the PLA in open air either where you live!
If you start to see oozing from the nozzle when there should be none, then it is time to put the spool in the oven at 50 deg C for about 3 to 4 hours and after that just start printing again.
No need for expensive stuff.
I have gone through many rolls of PLA without EVER drying them.
Do you have an old food dehydrator?
I might have to take over our old one just for drying purposes.
Granted it only has room for one or two spools depending on how big it is. Pre-drying them before printing can be an option if you have issues.
I’d go for either nothing (stored out in the open) or an air tight box with a cheap dehumidifier (like this one). The latter is likely overkill, but no doubt a pretty cheap way to ensure it stays dry.
I’m with @Chris1974 . The need to dry PLA at all is a myth. I’ve had rolls of IIIDMax and Hatchbox out in Florida humidity for over a year with no ill effects. The first meter or so is a little brittle, but prints fine after clipping off the brittle part.
Thanks all I had a feeling I’d get this kind of mixed feedback
I think I’ll tru the simplest option to start with and if I experience any issues play it by ear.
I guess my concern is that if I buy loads of filament and DONT store it in some kind of fancy air locked drying dehumidified solution, then it will all be ruined and I’d have wasted my money. But I’m guessing I can dry it out if this happens?
I’ve been leaving stuff in the AMS with desiccant and it is fine. When I need to swap PLAs I simply put them back in the bag (with desiccant) they came in and seal them a bit (roll the end up and then put that back in the shipping box).
I live in a pretty humid place and so far it’s been totally fine. I also bought a dryer (Amazon.com) just in case and to use with other filaments as needed. I wouldn’t over think it unless you start to see problems in your prints.
I’ve read so much on how important drying is and just as much as how important it isn’t (when it comes to easy to print PLA that is) so I think it’s really just something you try and see for your particular environment. But a small dryer is a pretty cheap investment and doubles as a storage cage for 2 rolls (well, the one I linked to holds 2 at least).
If you start to have problems (oozing from the nozzle, stringing, blobs, gaps in the print, poor adhesion to the plate or other layers, etc.), dry out the filament.
If drying corrects the problem, you know you need better humidity control. Drying is relatively easy and sure. I like to use a digital scale and dry a spool until it stops losing weight. There are no slicer settings that will fix problems caused by wet filament. Dry filament is such a basic requirement that it is like being sure you have gas in the tank if the car won’t start.
If drying does not help, moisture did not cause the problem, so you can begin investigating other culprits.
Don’t assume that new filament is dry. EVERY new spool I have ever opened lost at least a few grams of moisture after drying, some lost as much as 8 grams. Maybe your environment or requirements are such that a few grams moisture don’t matter.
I’ve successfully printed from a spool of PLA that sat in a drawer for 5 years without any thought given to keeping it dry. Wasn’t even in a re-closable bag, just the one it came in with one end torn off. I’m in the PNW and the indoor humidity is typically 45%. Having said that, currently, every spool I own is in a vacuum bag and in it’s original box. No effort is made to dry PLA, other types such as nylon are dried before printing.
If you are new to 3D printing, search to see if you can find and get advices from some 3D printing club in London. Their experience will be more relevant to you. But even then, you may get mixed answers. Sometimes people do things not because they have to, but because they want to, or told to.
If you have been printing for a while and have been doing fine with whatever storage solution you have, then keep doing it - don’t fix something that’s not broken.
Hi, I keep my open filament in a double door steel cabinet with two of the large desiccant packs bought from our local Builder STore (Part of Walmart). Some of the filament has been in the cabinet for over a year now and I have had no problems using the PLA straight out of the box. I still dry the other types of filament in my oven and vacuum chamber.
It depends on you climate where you live. I’m in Colorado where high humidity is around 40%, We usually run in the 20%-35% range, except for winter. Then the humidity is normally between 15-25% unless a storm moves through.
I’ve had no problems with moisture ruining my PLA, even with spools over a year old. If your humidity is really low, you could get by with storing the spools in ziplock backs to keep them from collecting dust if they will sit for a while. Plus the only moisture they will see is what is in the bag. There won’t be a continuous supply.
If you live in an area with 40%+ humidity on a regular basis, you might want to throw a bag of desiccant in with them at a minimum.
Now keep in mind, I’m only talking about PLA. Hydroscopic filaments like TPU are a whole different situation.
There’s another thread on PLA shelf life I responded to, as it does actually have one, and will get brittle no matter how you store it.
Here’s the story on that.
I had a feeling I’d get this kind of mixed feedback 