Hello There…this old man was going to make my first topic started about “old filament” but here it is.
Anyhow, I have 12 rolls of 6 year old filaments, PLA & PETG Poloroid and Paramount, purchased in California and then moved to South Mississippi. Some are still in vacuum packaging and some are opened not sealed. They resided in my woodshop for 5 years in a cardboard moving box, frozen and defrosted at least 8 times, subjected to triple digit temps and not less than 50% humidity. Most of the 3D “experts” advise me to throw them away and not risk damaging my new A1 printer. Bollocks!!!
I took one of the Paramount PLAs and gave it the bend test — sure enough it snapped like a dried twig — put it in a Polydryer box for 48 hours and then with generic PLA settings and leaving it in the Polydryer on continuous setting printed a Benchy. Well, it didn’t break my printer, it didn’t produce a pile of sphegetti and it didn’t produce a perfect Benchy. Lots of stringing but only a couple of “artifacts”.
I’ve read that even properly stored filament will “expire” within a few years. I don’t think so not for hobbyist like myself that’s not a commercial printer.
