Request of additional technical data for filaments

No, performing tests that conform to industry standards such as ISO 527 is beyond ordinary users. To detect if storing at a certain RH level affects the mechanical property of the print needs the accuracy and consistency that can only come from professional equipments and testers that are familiar with the standards.

Here are some of the reasons why this data should be available and why the TDS is the perfect place to include it.

First, why TDS is a great place for it. By presenting the data as TDS, it allows filament makers to keep their existing long-standing recommendations before they are ready to change while giving users data that they can use if they want to. If and how to use the TDS is up to the users, with caveats and disclaimers without explict promise from the makers.

Second, why these data should be available.

It will provide trust-worthy data to clear up the current state of confusions. Currently some dry their filaments before every print while some don’t dry at all. Some store their filaments at 20 % RH or even trying hard to push it lower while some others store them in the open. The data can clear this up.

For example, if it turns out that PLA storing at 30% RH (at 23 C) has no to little adverse effects on the mechanical property, then one doesn’t have to push it any lower. Users can also know that they don’t have to dry PLA after storing for 30 days at 30% RH before the print. This can avoid millions of unnecessary drying hours per year.

Even if BL decides to test and provide this data for the most commonly used filaments such as PLA, PETG, and TPU, or only PLA, the impact would still be huge considering the size of the 3D printing user base.

On the other hand, if storing at 20% RH makes the prints significantly weaker, than we should all be storing them at below 20% RH, even if the print surface may still looks as good as the freshly dried filament (the left most column in my mockup table).

@BambuLab (cc @Bambu_support :slight_smile: ) can take a lead in this and be the first company to provide this data, if only for the fact that BL is targeting the masses most of whom want to spend as little extra prepping time as possible when they want to print something out.