Back in the day, as many of you may remember, there was a phrase, “keep your powder dry”. In this modern day and age there is a new take on that phrase “keep your filament dry”. More and more model railroaders are getting into the craft of 3D printing. As with all machines, the printers require regular maintenance. However, one of the more important aspects of 3D printing is to ensure that the rolls of filament are kept in a non-humid environment. Depending on the time of year or where you live, it is potentially tricky to keep a steady humidity level in the environment.
As you see from many of our products, All Nation uses many colors and types of filament in the products that we 3D print. The most common filament types we use are PLA, ABS, PC, blends of ABS/PC and PETG. However, when we need a part that requires some bending ability we use a product called FLEX. We find that it is one of the more unique blends that tends to absorb moisture more so than others. The moisture content of the filament is important because it is that quality that allows the part to print well. If there is too much moisture, the filament is more gooey. When parts do not print well, it requires us to recycle that filament and print again hoping to get a good print.
As with all aspects of modeling, you know that I am in favor of finding practical ways to deal with issues. I researched many potential solutions to maintaining a good environment for “drying” an open filament. There are of course many expensive systems one could buy or rooms you could create in your house; however, I present to you, here, a rather simple solution to this filament moisture issue. It is an economical way of performing the drying task in a matter of about 4 hours prior to the printing. There are 6 basic components of a dry box: a metal box with air holes (I use an old computer terminal cabinet), insulation material, a damp chaser, a holder for the filament spools, thermometer and an auto pilot regulator.
Our goal is to reduce waste when a product does not print well. We will continue to try this solution out and keep your 3D parts coming. Enjoy this brief video on this topic.
