I respooled a roll of eSUN PLA+ onto a bambu spool. About 2/3 of the way in, it started snapping. I dried it for 6 hrs/55c. Same thing, snapping, useless.
I respooled another roll onto a bambu roll. Seemed all good until I loaded it into the AMS. Nope, more snapping, so I said well whatever and dried that for 8 hrs. Nope, snappity snap.
These rolls were kept in an airtight container with dessicant right after opening, and the room runs a consistent low 60s with 50% RH.
With Bambu, Sunlu, Polymaker, QIDI PLA - Iāve have no problems with those brands and treat them the say way. Iāve dried some of them before using but not all.
It sounds like you may have exceeded the temperature of vitrification(glass transition temp) for that filament for too long. For PLA itās typically between 55-60c. If you dry it at higher temperatures for too long or at the top end of that temp for too long, Iāve had cases where my filament became āovercookedā and displayed the same brittle fracturing you are describing. At that point, it becomes e-waste.
Hey @Olias, I very much appreciate the advice! Itās quite confusing because some manufacturers say to dry their PLA and some donāt mention it at all.
It is confusing indeed. Bottom line, you canāt trust what you read until you verify it with your own methodology.
I think in many ways itās a sign of the immaturity of the industry and an indication of just how much further we need to go. Chinese companies lying about their products certainly doesnāt help.
Thereās enough evidence to show that quality control among most filament makers is very substandard. By that, I mean whatās on the box as far as print temperatures and what the company will and will not publish is random. Thatās why you will see me posting quite frequently the phrase āTrust nothing you read and verify everything.ā Iāve been burned too many times by Chinese companies in general, and filament companies are among the worst.
The one trick Iāve found helpful in verifying the materials used is to email the filament company websites and request an SDS. At least then, you can validate the raw material they started with and infer the type of properties the filament might have. While I doubt most folks will make this effort, and I certainly donāt do it for every filament, if I have doubts, as I did with Gizmo Dorks nylon, I will request the SDS, and filament makers generally respond quickly because they otherwise run the risk of regulatory scrutiny from national safety agencies.
Of course, from there, you then have to research the chemical they are using from the manufacturer for specific physical properties. And, of course, we must trust their compliance people are being truthful, which for Chinese companies, it is a 50/50 chance thatās true. The only saving grace is that for PA 66, which is what Gizmo Dorks says their nylon is based on, there arenāt a lot of companies making the raw pellets. In the case of PA 66, my research showed that itās really two players that dominate that market, and thatās BASF and DuPont. From there, I Googled āGlass Transition of PA 66ā and there were many distributors that provided much easier-to-understand Tg properties. Some even address filament made from these products.
@Megazoni i had the same problem sometime ago i am using almost exclusively eSUN products including PLA+
Not sure what was the main fix (it was not temperature so much) as we did a few changes in parallel , but each time respooling with PLA caused me issues and i had XYZ which after respool almost 100% broke overnight on pieces
Here is what is my process and have not had an issue for a long time and hope that helps:
Stopped respooling
Print directly from AMS or drier if for the other printer( at lowest heat setting when printing)
Open the PLA+ and into the drier with fresh(dry) silica in middle of the roll and back of the box at middle/highest temp which is around (45-50C)/(50-55C) ( eSUN drier) for around 18 hours , then put it in a plastic dry box container with 1kg silica where we keep 8-9 rolls per box, or directly into the AMS ( note that the cooling was done relatively slow as it was not taken out before reaches room temp
When i need it - from the dry container into the AMS , or into eSUN drier at lowest setting which is around 40-45C and print from there
fast track process when need it now - hapens very often
Open the PLA+ , may be dry it 0h to 1h(more often not) in the max setting in drier and directly into the AMS
If used in the Other printer put it in the Drier at lowest setting and print directly from it straight away with out additional highest setting
what have noticed:
eSUN PLA+ new just opened may be a bit wet , but usually does not affect the print especially if print slowed down a little . Not true for other eSUN materials
as our AMS is full of fresh silica extra compartments and in the middle of the rolls , keeps it dry and dries it enough for PLA+ to give good results with in a week or two if unused by then
when connected PLA+ to the other printer via drier and PTFE tubes and left for a day or two with out printing and loaded there is 60mm exposed which breaks usually 2nd-4th day
General eSUN PLA+ starts becoming brittle when left on open for 2-3 days ( recovery is 18hours-24houts) drying at lower settings and leave it for a few days in the dry box full of silica
General eSUN PLA+ out of the box a bit moisture but usually not enough to affect the print , in some cases slowing down the print helps( not aways)
general eSUN PLA+ tunning , will do it only after full drying procedure as it affects the results , but i already have all the tunning done so very rarely need to retest and usually hapens to be real wet filament box not settings any more
never had issues with overcooking the eSUN PLA+ in the eSUN drier but that might be due to not enough temp i think it should be up to 55C and i had run it for 18h, but also when i turn it off almost 100% leave it slowly to cool down
From what i have read the moisture and rapid heating and collings are the main factors for PLA to become brittle.
Respooling we were able in the old days to do a respool , but we had to really well dry the material and respool from a drier box with a heat at lowest setting just after around 5-10 minutes of running And then was fine.
EDIT:
Your main issue is coming from the respooling process BTW
3D Printing Solutions explains that respooling the filament changes the curvature of the filament, which introduces additional strain. While materials with high rigidity are more susceptible to cracking as a result of respooling, they warn that the diversity of polymer grades and formulas used to manufacture filaments makes it difficult to anticipate how a material may react to respooling.
All of that is to say, the decision to respool your filament shouldnāt be taken lightly. While some users swear by it and report not having any problems, others have experienced catastrophe.
great one, the one thing they do not mention is that the PLA or may be any filament needs to be heated/warmed to reduce the stress as the two rolls usually has a different inner diameter. Similar effect will have a long drying cycle after the respool but not good enough aways
when needed I use Method 2 from this article but source spool is inside drier with small PTFE tube running at minimum temperature which is around around 40-45C for at least some time before start to soak the roll . and after respooling goes through a full dry cycle 18h+ sometimes 2x18h as mentioned before 45-55C. and that usually works ok for me (my boxes can set only up to 18h timer annoying )
But again do not respool my advise , if you can - eSun 1kg spools are no problem for the AMS even the Cardboard ones i do not use protectors and work without issues
One exception was special material either PC or one of the nylons eSUN slightly bigger , which decided to use external infeed from Drier instead of respooling for the AMS
Id assume you would need the original extrusion / spooling temp for it to keep its given integrity , even then id expect a change to its given integrity
In Colorado, the humidity is pretty low most of the time. Have had no issues with eSun PLA+ / Pro. From what Iām reading here, I wonder if their PLA is more hydroscopic than other brands?
no idea as do not use on mass other brands, You are lucky, here in NZ/Auckland the humidity yearly averages 82% , with driest month average 77% , and very often over 95% this year not too bad , my location humidity is higher than the averages Dehumidifier runs 24x7 in the workshop trying to keep it as close as possible to 50%-60% , but when located by the ocean i guess is normal
There are more humid places
Thank you for taking all that time to teach me all of that. Iāll follow that course of action and see what happens.
Another note: I realize now, when looking at my disorganization, that the first filament spool to start snapping was actually not respooled.
I also noticed on a newer eSun spool that the cardboard edges seem to be sealed in some fashion.
By the way, i use esun without drying. No problem. In the passt i once dried a Roll of esun. Same problem like you. Now i never dry the rolls. If i got Cardboard spools i do not wind it on a Bambu spool. I replace the cardboard and use a Adapter spool. But no Bambu spool.
I think Iāll try simply using the rolls as-is. I see that the newer cardboard edges have a sealant on them.
FYI, eSUN replied that the PLA+ āgenerally does not need drying.ā Iām pretty sure my filament dryer came with a chart of drying recommendations, and Bambu has drying listed on the product pages. Add all that to the conflicting information found on forums and such, it really is confusing sometimes!
, but when located by the ocean i guess is normal
