10 Tips to Take Care of your Filaments

Proper storage of filament coils is crucial. If stored improperly, moisture and dust can adversely affect print quality and also clog nozzles.

Importance of filament storage

Filament coils are vulnerable to moisture and dust. Some materials are sensitive to humidity like PVA or nylon because they are very hygroscopic and absorb moisture after a short time. Others not so much, so if you live in humid places, these tips are essential.

Here are the ten tips to properly store and care for your filaments.

1) Dehumidifier

Use dehumidifiers to improve the general conditions of the space in which we are. Its operation consists of passing an air current through an evaporator, which is at a temperature below the dew point, causing the ambient humidity to condense and drip into a tank or a drain.

After being dried and cooled, the air passes through the condenser, thus recovering the ambient temperature and further decreasing its relative humidity.

We can condition our work area with these devices or put it to work in closed cabinets, etc., obtain these devices quickly online.

Pro Breeze Electric Mini Dehumidifier, 1200 Cubic Feet, is the right choice for small studies.

2) Ziplock bags with desiccants

Zip Lock bags with desiccants are the cheapest way to store filament rolls.

Store your filament along with the silica bag that our reel contained at the factory. A six or eight-liter bag can easily hold a filament reel.

Note that the bag’s edges should be reinforced with tape to prevent it from breaking when used frequently.

And if necessary, you can also print directly from the bag. Create a small one-centimeter opening and guide the filament through this opening to the outside.

The feeder must have enough force to pull the strand even if the reel is not mounted on a strand spool holder.

3) Silica bags

Silica bags or desiccant packs keep moisture in containers to a minimum. For all these solutions, use the desiccant packages to keep moisture in the boxes to a minimum.

Add several bags in a plastic box with a lid to keep it closed where the materials can be stored and help them dry.

Silica bags reliably absorb moisture from the air and quickly re-dried in the microwave or oven for reuse.

These packages are available in different sizes and presentations. You can find them directly in our online shop, Mercado Libre, Home Depot, etc.

For a single reel, two bags should be enough, as long as you keep in an enclosed place.

4) Polymaker PolyBox

Polymaker presents its storage system in its second generation Polybox by Polymaker. This compact box can store up to two 750g reels or one large 3kg reel.

The filament is introduced through the feeder using several rubber couplings on the box’s side and top.

The bottom contains two large desiccant packages to regulate the humidity in the box. And on the front, there’s a small hygrometer to check the moisture inside.

The Polybox can be used for the safe storage of filament rolls and be printed directly from the box. Thus, it is no longer necessary to remove the filament from a container.

A great advantage for very hygroscopic materials such as nylon or PVA, as they absorb moisture very quickly and this can become a problem during long print jobs.

5) PrintDry filament container

The PrintDry Filament Container is a solution for the storage of individual rolls. The seal on the lid ensures that the box is airtight and keeps moisture out reliably.

Besides, a manual vacuum pump is included to remove the remaining air in the container.

6) Print Dryer

In the same way as the Polybox, the Canadian version presents the dryer option, giving the option of drying based on dehydration.

You can put up two one-kilo reels in the machine; the times can vary from 4 to 8 hours depending on the material.

7) Filament Container

Filament container boxes can be manufactured from boxes of all sizes and then equipped with detailed features.

Several dry boxes can be stored or printed directly from them. Usually, with simple plastic sealed boxes.

These boxes can be purchased in all sizes and then equipped with the necessary features.

If you want to print directly from the box, we recommend installing a roll holder and a coupling for a Bowden tube. Also, make sure the couplings are airtight to keep the reels safe when not primed.

We can add Silica Bags on the bottom of the box, a temperature control, etc.

8) Lock & Lock Container

The economical version of the Print Dryer can be the food toppers in your house if they have enough space to accommodate the reel and add a bag of silica you will have a powerful ally for your prints.

The HSM952 Lock & Lock container contains exactly one 750g spool, and there is still room for one desiccant packet. The rubber seal on the lid hermetically seals the box.

9) Filament Dust Filter

The filament must be kept dry: the nozzle has to be cared for to ensure that dust and dirt do not clog it. A dust filter, which is hooked on the reel’s filament and the feeder to remove the dust, is one solution. You can print it; you can do it with a sponge or both.

10) Use the entire roll before 6 months

Naturally, the filament quality will degrade over time, regardless of the measures you take to keep moisture out. It’s better not to have too much filament when you don’t plan to use it in the next year, so if you’re close to beating the filament or already have a lot of time, we suggest you print everything you can think of.

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Last updated on 2023 / Affiliate links