Hi all, I switched from the silica desiccant to the alumina desiccant which is significantly better. To recharge it, it needs to be put in oven for 8 to 12 hours at 200-250F. Instead of having to empty my AMS and storage tub desiccant containers I want to print them in a material that can be in the oven at those temps for that long so every that way I never have to empty and reload them with the desiccant. Based on the info on the website I think any of the PA/PEHT stuff will work but this will be my first time using a more exotic filament and would like some feedback from those who know more.
Can’t find a delete option but this is a moot point, I read the temp wrong it is C not F.
The 200-250°C range is the same range most filaments get melted to when pushed through the nozzle.
I guess your edit made you understand this, so, this is for those that done layer, so they can understand the problem more easily.
Shoving the vast array of filaments in the oven will melt them as they are designed to melt at that point.
Even at half this point the filament would begin to deform under its weight as it begins it melting journey.
Unless you have the X1E (not the X1C) or the H2D, it is unlikely you have the ability to print any material due to the requirements such materials require.
The parameter you care about is the “Glass Transition Temp” . This is the temperature at which the plastic goes from being rigid to being soft. You need to pick a filament with a transition temp that is higher than your expected environmental temp. For a 250ºF oven, you need plastic that has a transition temp north of 120ºC.
There aren’t going to be many that fit the bill. PC has a transition temp north of 140ºC so it would work fine. PETG by comparison is only 80ºC, and PLA is only 60ºC.
PEEK is about the only filament I find that might survive at 200-250 °C, but even the 350°C maximum nozzle temp of the H2D is lower than the recommended 360-440°C for this material.
Bambu PPS-CF has a Heat deflection temperature of 264c and a melting temperature of 284c. So if you put it in the oven at 200C(or maybe even 225c) I would think it would be fine even with a little variance in the actual temperature. 250C Oven temp might be too close as the temp will never be exact.
A lot of the this will also depend on the the design of the object. If it puts a lot of stress on the part it may show signs of heat deflection at a lower temp due to the stress. Heat deflection values are based off of stress.
EDIT: Polymaker PPS-CF is way cheaper on Amazon for $69 per 0.5kg if you only need a small amount. https://amzn.to/4kTbOAT
I saw that on the website, but it says you need the X2E or H2D to print it, and I have an X1C. I’m guessing it is related to nozzle and chamber temps.
That’s correct, I wasn’t sure which printer you had. Without a heated chamber you would probably get a decent amount of warping once the parts get higher than about 1" and it wants to lift off the bed. Not to mention the nozzle print temperature is right around 320*C on my H2D for PPS-CF. So the X1C is out.
I’m giving it a shot with the Polymaker PPS-CF10. Just printed out some AMS2 desiccant pods. There’re currently in the blast oven annealing. I have some activated alumina desiccant that I will be putting in them. I’ll see what happens in the oven at 210*c when full.
Sounds like we think a like. Just out of curiosity could that be annealed in a standard kitchen oven? Also does annealing have to happen right after printing, or can you do it any time?
Yeah you could anneal it in anything that will get up to temperature. I’ve just noticed that my kitchen oven will slightly very temperature more than my blast oven. So it would be good to check with an independent thermometer to see what you’re oven actually does. I’m sure someone knows a lot more about it than me. But my understanding is that you anneal it at the recommended settings before going up to full temperature and it changes the characteristics of the material. And then the material can usually handle higher temperatures after the initial annealing without warping. I anneal at their recommended temperatures, I shut off the oven and let it cool slowly in the oven until it reaches room temperature. On low temperature filaments I do not like using the oven, as I’ve noticed you get high and low spots and parts warp easy.
Not the answer you asked for, so apologies, but I would just get some clay and make a holder for the dessicant with that. It’s not that hard to shape into something ugly but usable and it’ll take the heat just fine.
AFAIK, PPS-CF has the highest heat deflection temperature of any filament you can print on a bambulab printer. The only downside seems to be that it can be brittle if you print it with thin walls and then drop it on concrete. It doesn’t shatter, but it might crack along a layer line.
