Reptile Heating Mat for AMS?

Bambu Lab AMS General discussions
1

Hi all,

Brand new to 3D printing but loving my P1S and AMS. I’ve been looking at desiccant options and also some of the heating ideas that are out there.

One that I’ve been considering is the use of a reptile heating mat or home brew heating element within the AMS. These can be as low as 5-10W and left running at temps around 30 degrees C.

Has anybody tried this or think of a reason would be a bad idea. I’m hoping the low current draw and low temp means this could be left on to help dry out the unit. Thoughts?

Cheers.

2

The most important consideration I think is: Is moisture bothering you?

I imagine most people use a filament dryer and then put that dried filament into the AMS with desiccant pods and that is all that is necessary. That is what I do but I also live in a very dry environment so it works for me. I think it works for most people that aren’t living in a swamp but who knows.

So I’m wondering if your idea is to ditch the filament dryer and get by with this custom solution only and that seems unlikely. Because 30C isn’t going to remove much moisture from filament just perhaps keep it from taking on as much while it sits in the AMS.

You said your brand new so I would start with the filament dryer and desiccant pods in the AMS and then if you have issues say because you are in a very humid env or you use a lot of hygroscopic filaments (TPU / Nylon - which suck up moisture like crazy), then you might want to investigate further solutions, otherwise it is likely overkill.

3 Likes
3

Thanks for the thoughts. I haven’t purchased any filament dryers yet but am about to print out some desiccant trays.

I’m in the UK so it’s not particularly humid but is generally cold and wet for much of the year.

Will lead with your advice and see how I get on.

1 Like
4

Sounds good. I should have mentioned that myself and many others like the SunLu dryers, the S4 is really nice but could be overkill for some situations in which case the S2 should suffice. Just in case you wanted some guidance there.

1 Like
5

I live in the UK and my printers are in a room that is the most humid room in the house and I use the AMS as a convenient drybox and use Sunlu S4s to bulk dry the filament then stick them in the AMS with just desiccant and a hydrometer - They stay around 10-15% for about a month of opening daily.

I put these between the feed units (two) and recharge them once a month

I put these in the trays at the back and recharge them once as month

First of every month I spend twenty minutes recharging the desiccant in my AMS units and have no problems

1 Like