Been printing this large piece using AddNorth Textura filament. (cellulose infused from what I understand).
Have printed it before without issue but this time it came out like this on the X1C. Anyone recognize the pattern and might have a clue on what’s going on? I heard rambling from the printes as if the hotend was hitting the layer it went over.
Regards Björn
Hi
No I’ve almost never done that. Do you reckon it could be the issue here? Appearing after a certain layer so promptly?
I am with @Olias in that it could be a likely cause. In particular if the filament got soaked (or dried) from the outside in.
I am not an expert on that type of filament, but I’d hazard the guess that a cellulose filled filament would be particularly succeptible to moisture uptake.
Either way, you will definitely want to rule it out as an error case as troubleshooting is impossible with a “maybe dry” filament.
And since it is a rare type of filament, it would also be very interesting not just to you yourself to learn if and how much moisture you were able to expell by drying. Please report back on your findings 
Here are two examples of Bambu silk. Bambu states PLA does not need to be dried. Does the pattern on the top of one of these look familiar?
I’ll give you three guesses as to which one was post dryer. 
That looks strangely familiar 
Unfortunately, that failed print was running the last meter of that roll so can’t dry that one and re-print, but just opened a new filament roll of the same kind and will print again. Also without drying - since it’s brand new sealed I suppose.
Would you say drying is a good practice if using a roll which has been opened for a while?
This is where reality frequently reality forces a much needed check. Why would it be dry when going in the bag? Drying would just increase the manufacturing cost for the filament producer. Or eat into the profit margin.
It is particularly good practice for new rolls where no information on moisture content exists.
For opened rolls, stored in a dry environment, pre-packaging roll weighing can give an indication as to the neccessity.
You’ve got a point there!
Is it a good practice? That’s like asking if the Pope is Catholic.
All kidding aside, it still blows my mind how much trust people put into manufacturers, especially in this 3D printer industry that’s basically the wild west, largely dominated by Chinese companies working under the Chabuduo mindset. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s this “close enough is good enough” philosophy that’s pretty common in Chinese business. Westerners see it as cutting corners or flat-out sloppy, and it really shows in the products they deliver.
To answer your question: we’ve all gotten products from China that don’t live up to Western quality expectations, and filament makers are some of the worst offenders. You’re not alone thinking, “Well, it came sealed from the factory, so it must be perfect, right?” But yeah, how’s that working out for us? Most of us have learned the hard way.
Basically, assume anything from China went through little to no quality control. Drying the filament before use is a must. If you’re OCD like me, you’ll start logging weights before and after drying and building your own “Naughty List” of brands that don’t dry their filament properly before sealing. Sadly, Bambu is right up there as one of the biggest offenders, and they’re charging a 40% premium! You’d think with those prices, they’d at least do the basics like drying the filament. But nope, we’re left picking up the slack. So yeah, if you’re using any hydroscopic filaments like PETG, make sure you dry it yourself. It’s just what we have to deal with in this industry.
I see, thing is I never buy my filament from China but from Addnorth.se (add:north - 3D filaments) and it’s made in Sweden. Perhaps thus, I’ve never had any issues, this is my first issue that might then be related to moisture. I’ve never dried a filament before, I bought a dryer but never used - because like I said, I’ve never had issues like this.
Consider this a golden opportunity to verify your supplier’s authenticity. For the next filament you unseal, measure its weight, then place it in the dryer and weigh it again. The reduction in weight will give you detailed data regarding moisture reduction as well reveal truly just how honest your supplier is. Keep in mind that 1g = 1ml = 1cc of water. To put that in perspective, I’ve had filaments fresh out of the bag with as much as 12g of moisture removed. That was enough to produce the results I showed you above, though it was an extreme case.
I would not be surprised if the cellulose would increase water uptake drastically. It may not be water soluble itself, but I’d expect very strong capillary effects. So even when dried after manufacture, I’d be careful about water uptake and maybe even print straight from the drier.
Trillions of plants can’t be wrong!!!
Yes, good idea. Thanks for the benchmark, then I know that anything above 10g is regarded as enough to be a problem.
For how long do I need to dry a roll you reckon?
I think that is more of an extreme example. I have had issues with less than 3g due to curling.
These may give some indications:
Filament Drying Recommendations | Bambu Lab Wiki
But with cellulose as a filler, it may be quite different. I would recommend taking more time rather than using different temps though to avoid damage though.
Thanks.
8 hours! That surprised me. And threw me off too.
It is time spent well though. At the very least, it does kill-off an important failure case when printing entire rolls without satisfactory results.
How often do you dry if you have been storing it (after being opened)? Once you dry it, if you’re storing it in an airtight container with silica or another drying agent, how long would you let it sit before drying it again?
Good question! Knowing if filament needs drying after storage isn’t always straightforward, but here’s my approach:
When I store a spool, I place it in a vacuum-sealed bag with a desiccant bag and a moisture indicator card. Before sealing, I weigh the filament and desiccant separately and note these on a sticky note attached to the bag.
When I reopen the bag, I first check the moisture indicator card—if it shows low moisture, I usually won’t dry it. But before using the filament, I re-weigh both the spool and the desiccant. If either gained weight, it suggests moisture absorption. This data helps me decide if drying is needed.
Now admittedly, this is overkill for PLA and most non-hydroscopic filaments if you stick to one maker. But due to the fact that I vary my filament supply based on price, I need to assure myself that I understand the properties of the filaments I use and if any brands have quirks.
Also, in the above process, if I am using the filament frequently, I’ll store it in a tote with other spools. For that, I use a hygrometer as a moisture indicator card is not an applicable use-case. For that, weight and hygrometer readings are the sole way I determine moisture content and the need for drying.
