Is wet filament really that bad? Do you need a Filament Dryer? - FIXDRY Filament Dryer Review

[@MarkHarrop]

I found a reel of ABS in my cupboard, must have been there for 10 years. Thought what the heck, I'll give it a try. Amazingly worked perfectly, was gobsmacked.

[@HoffmanEngineering]

That's awesome. I'll have to look around and see what rolls I have that might be that old. I must have some filament samples that old that hasn't been in my dry boxes.

[@Zodliness]

Cheap humidity meters are available on Amazon that can indicate how suitable an enclosure is for keeping filament in prime condition, I found keeping filaments away from breathing humans and steamy locations that create moisture like kitchens and bathrooms, helps to keep moisture ingress to a minimum. Just wrapping a roll of filament in a dry towel, with cat litter in a sock can act as effective temporary moisture barrier. 😉

[@arksurvivalevolvedforever8985]

Feeding 2 rolls from my twin dryer was best purchase ever!! Some filaments brand new out of the vacuum sealed bag straight in the dryer has caused moisture droplets on the dryer lid!!! 3DHoJor PLA Pro (PLA+) Filament

[@HoffmanEngineering]

I haven't seen moisture droplets yet on mine, but I believe it! It is crazy how much water weight is lost.

[@dmax9324]

Very interesting about the silk filament not sticking when "wet". I recently tried microcenter silk PLA, and it didnt stick to PEI in the same way you showed, fresh out of the box. But i didnt dry it. Some people online did have the same issue, and some others didnt. Maybe the moisture level does affect the silks, or as you mentioned, maybe some VOCs are removed more from silk filament that affects adhesion. Either way, this is the first time ive seen anyone make this observation. Cool video nicely done. I would mention that it doesnt seem like you did a torture test by adding moisture to the filament on purpose, then putting it through the various drying steps, but thats a minor gripe.

[@HoffmanEngineering]

I did not run that experiment, but that would be a good thing to try. See how much moisture I could get a roll to absorb, and see how it dries. I'll add it to the experiment list!

[@Zodliness]

I think paying £90 for a FixDry dryer is a small price to pay for the difference in print quality alone. I agree on all points raised about keeping dried filament in a sealed storage box, with silica crystals inside to maintain humidity thereafter. I found freshly dried warm rolls of filament attracted moisture like a sponge, unless I protect them from humidity after drying. For a while before buying a dryer, I used to leave my filament inside a regular plastic storage box, which included a pair of old socks filled with clay cat litter, until I found a couple of reusable silica dry bags on Amazon to replace them. 👍 This is my opinion, I could be wrong. 😉

[@YensR]

Interesting observations, thank you! Some hopefully constructive comments: Lots of material used for the prints. I think you could have achieved the same (or better) investigation with smaller dedicated prints, reducing time, cost and waste. The drier works well, but it seems a bit superfluous with your eva-dry storage solution. I guess if you get a new filament and time is of the essence, or if you are mass-printing, it's a good solution to ensure consistent results. But otherwise, at that price point, eva-dry seems superior.

[@HoffmanEngineering]

Thanks for the discussion! The test prints were relatively small, in total all the test pieces used 162 grams of filament. I don't feel like that was particularly wasteful, but it is a good thing to keep in mind. As for the dry storage vs a dryer, I agree. I think most people would benefit more from dry storage. It's only when you need a faster dry time, or you are printing with a more absorbant material that a dedicated dryer would make sense.

[@FelipeFerreira-e5o]

Do you need to dry when printing? I'm guessing for nylon yes, but for things like PLA prob not?

[@HoffmanEngineering]

Naw, if your filament is already dry, then there's little need keep it in a dryer while printing. Only if you are using something like nylon or PVA and are printing a rather long print.

[@Gingerbytes]

Hey, I also live in Florida and my home can get pretty humid at times (above 65%). Do you think your dry box container solution would work if I was to print ASA, or do you think having an active dryer like that Fixdry would be required? I am fine taking my time to dry out a spool.

[@HoffmanEngineering]

If you've got the time, I think a dry box is the way to go. ASA isn't crazily moisture sensitive, so you don't need to worry about keeping it dry while printing. Storing it in a dry box between prints would be the way to go.

[@izemanevobike]

Great video! I've always wondered how long the "safe time" is until the filament needs to go back to the box/dryer? What about 24h long prints? I do an 8h drying in my drybox, then print with it, and probably forget to put it away instantly, or print in the evening, and turn the printer off in the morning. Is the filament still dry then? I live in a quite dry environment, with 50% humidity, so not quite like Florida ;)

[@HoffmanEngineering]

Great questions! Seems like I have a few more experiements to run :D

[@izemanevobike]

@@HoffmanEngineeringI was expecting AN ANSWER not more WAIT TIME ;) But it's a good question, right? Your approach to it, by weighing the roll and calculating the liquid that was in it before/after the dry process is a good one. I probably will do it myself. Unfortunately you'd need a roll KNOWN to be moderately wet to start with. Dry it until it doesn't loose any more weight and then weigh it again every like 2h/5h/24h/1d/1w ... and see when it it's back to it's "original" weight. Could be interesting, but absolutely worth it I think. My dryer shows around 15% humidity after some hours. I hope this means that the filament is thouroughly dry as well at that time ....

[@samsmucker6419]

The Markforged dry box is much handier

[@90nined]

how do you fix brittle filament I live in Arizona and its super dry and my wood and glow in the dark pla just snaps all the time

[@HoffmanEngineering]

Normally brittle PLA is a sign of moisture. Wood is different though, wood PLA that uses actual wood fibers need to be kept in higher humidity. I think I remember my last wood roll said 45% humidity was ideal.

[@izemanevobike]

@@HoffmanEngineeringDo you know why it's always the first meter of filament that is especially prone to breaking/snapping? Maybe it's a little more exposed to environment?!

[@kevinbevin2]

​@@izemanevobikecould be the additional exposure time between running and vac sealing, as well as any UV exposure before boxing (Should be minimal, but that'll depend on the manufacturers process)

[@Mrguypersonmandudebro]

Can I just store them in containers with desiccants?

[@HoffmanEngineering]

Yup, you can. You will need to dry out the dessicant over time though, as they will eventually become saturated with moisture as you open the container. That's why I like the rechargeable dehumidifiers, as the dessicant inside changes color when they are wet. That let's you know when you need to dry them.

[@Dedrael81]

"a benchy" 😄

[@samsmucker6419]

This dryer design is just dumb, they need to make the lid separate from the filament outlets to prevent the hassle of trying put the lid on and feed the filament at the same time

[@HoffmanEngineering]

That is a good point. I did run into that problem once or twice, when I wanted to move the dryer but couldn't without unloading the filament from the printer. I'll have to give the Markforged dry box a try sometime in the future!