I need to recharge my dessicant and I printed the dessicant holders in PLA. Can I put this in the oven to recharge the dessicant or should I have to print the holders in ABS or PETG? I know (from experience) that PLA warps in the microwave.
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I’ve done it many times before getting a filament dryer. It’s an effective way to dry silica gel beads, probably the most effective, as you can spread them out over a large area to avoid clumping and ensure maximum drying. The ideal temperature is around 140°F (60°C) for four hours or until the color changes if using color-changing beads. While some may warn about spilling toxic cobalt when using blue beads, there haven’t been any reports of any deaths so far… 
To recharge silica gel, all you need is a metal cookie sheet or tin foil bent at the edges to keep the beads from falling off the sheet. Or you can also use a cookie baking sheet with parchment paper to ensure no contaminants from the baking sheet, such as butter or vegetable oils, transfers into the silica. But aluminum foil works just as well.
However, if your oven isn’t clean, it’s a good idea to clean it first. Vegetable oil or animal fat vapor from dirty oven walls can redeposit onto the beads and reduce their absorption ability.
Pick any cheap parchment paper in the same aisle where you find aluminum foil and wax paper products in your local supermarket.
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I usually dump the pellets in a microwave safe soup dish, give them 3 to 3:30 Minutes, let them cool/release water outside the microwave (while doing the next batch and occasionally giving the dish a stir) and then repeat if/until needed. Usually takes no more than 3 cycles to dry a batch of fully soaked pellets (from the freezer, not the AMS which I never allow to soak).
So even including drying time and refilling the containers, it is usually pretty fast.
I also have some pre-packaged satchels which either receive the same microwave treatment or just go into the dryer.
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Thanks to everyone; I now have 2 methods for drying silica beads!
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CNC Kitchen just did an in depth video about drying desiccant.
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I killed my 22 year old microwave this way… forgot defrost mode. Whoops
I put mine in a roasting tin lined with tin foil and place it in the oven when cooking a meal.
This saves wasting energy.
If you only have a small amount, it will likely be fine spread on the bottom of the roasting tin. If you have a lot, you may need to do it over several meals or stir it around every 10 minutes.
I cook at 175ºc and have had no issues with this technique.
Did this just today, regenerating after being away for a few weeks.
I use a repurposed toaster oven that, initially, I was using as a reflow soldering station, but have since reprogrammed it for a variety of oven modes. My ‘drying’ mode is 125C for a 1.5-2 hours.
My guess is you are from the States.
We do not have toaster ovens in the U.K., technically we do, but, they are nowhere near as prevalent and most people would be confused by them here.
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LOL! If it’s any consolation, mine tends to confuse a lot of people here as well!
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