If you happen to personal among the finest 3D printers, I’m keen to wager that you’ve got come throughout moist filament points at one level or one other. No, this is not a delusion – neither is it a ploy to get you to buy among the finest filament dryers, both. Moist filament is a really actual difficulty with 3D printing that may considerably impression your print high quality, and all of it comes all the way down to how a lot moisture your supplies soak up.If you happen to’re pretty new to 3D printing and asking your self if it is actually a obligatory funding to purchase a filament dryer, let me prevent the difficulty of analysis and reply instantly: sure. Whereas you may get away with not having a dryer as you study the craft and slowly become familiar with different 3D printing instruments, over time, you will discover errors like stringing, poor-quality surfaces, fragile fashions, tough edges, and even bubbles in your prints in case your materials turns into too damp.Some newer 3D printers, akin to Bambu Lab’s H sequence and the Anycubic Kobra S1 Combo, could have dryers constructed into the AMS items for added comfort, however not each printer could have this luxurious. When printing supplies like TPU, a filament dryer is an absolute important. The field even states that you will need to dry out these filaments first earlier than making an attempt to print with them. I’ve received the entire greatest filament dryers available on the market rounded up for you under.The perfect filament dryers for 3D printing
Greatest for most individuals
Greatest for just about everyoneThe Creality Area Pi X4 reaches temperatures as excessive as 80 levels Celsius and permits you to dry and print on the similar time. That is mighty spectacular for the value, and one of many hottest dryers available on the market. It additionally boasts an impartial PTC heater on both aspect, which suggests you may dry your filament at two totally different temperatures multi functional machine (good for when there are totally different filament varieties requiring totally different temps).
Greatest for informal customers
Greatest for extra informal usersThis is one among SUNLU’s extra reasonably priced filament dryers, and provides giant capability drying of as much as 4 spools directly. Its social gathering trick is that it comes with 8 filament holes and PTFE tubes for drying and printing concurrently with a number of printers. So when you have an Elegoo printer on one aspect and a Creality on the opposite, they will each make use of this filament dryer on the similar time. It is suitable with an array of various filaments with pre-configured temperature settings for PLA, ABS, PETG, TPU, PA and PC.
Greatest for Bambu Lab printers
Greatest for trickier filaments Now, this feature from Bambu Lab is technically an Automated Materials System (AMS) unit, and never a standalone filament dryer, but it surely does supply built-in 85°C filament drying with an lively air vent and hermetic storage, which is essential for filaments like TPU. It additionally has enjoyable extras like RFID filament sync, which suggests for those who’re utilizing Bambu Lab-branded supplies, then it needs to be recognised by the feeder and your printer when related. I have been testing this out currently with my Bambu Lab H2S, and I am totally impressed with it thus far.
Greatest for annealing
Greatest for annealing and engineering filament This premium possibility from SUNLU will probably be out of price range for a lot of (myself included) and might price simply as a lot as a 3D printer itself. However with that stated, you get what you pay for with this filament dryer, and it is among the finest you may get for engineering-type filaments, due to its max temperature vary of as much as 110℃. It takes solely 20 minutes to warmth as much as 50°C, and it may possibly anneal 99.99% of engineering supplies available on the market for extraordinary impression resistance and toughness.
Greatest improve for decrease budgets
05. SUNLU AMS Heater (Improve)
Greatest for these with older Bambu Lab printers. Often, Filament dryers are standalone gadgets (not a part of an AMS unit), however this feature from SUNLU is definitely an add-on improve for these with barely older Bambu Lab 3D printers, which solely assist the Gen 1 AMS. The latest AMS 2 Professional from Bambu Lab has built-in filament drying capabilities, however the earlier gen doesn’t. That is the place SUNLU is available in. I have been testing this reasonably priced improve with my Bambu Lab X1 Carbon, and it is improbable. You simply want to interchange the lid of your authentic AMS with this SUNLU model, and voila!
Greatest for desk house
Greatest for these wanting one thing compact and simpleWant to keep away from the ginormous, cumbersome choices? The PolyDryer from Polymaker is likely to be your go-to for saving desk house. This filament dryer is quite a bit easier than others on this listing, and is basically simply an hermetic storage field that has drying capabilities when positioned onto the drying dock. It provides a 360° drying system to revive your older spools, plus it has a modular design with the choice so as to add a number of bins to guard extra spools for those who select. It is suitable with a great deal of supplies and has colour-changing dessicant on the entrance that will help you detect moisture ranges over time.
(Picture credit score: SUNLU)FAQsWhat’s the aim of a filament dryer?It is all within the title, actually. A filament dryer dries filament – and that is essential to take away moisture that your 3D printing supplies have absorbed from being ignored within the open or not saved appropriately (ideally in an hermetic container).Some filaments soak up moisture greater than others, akin to TPU, PETG or any carbon fibre-infused supplies. A filament dryer is the perfect and simplest way to make sure that your filaments are totally dried out, with easy temperature controls, the power to set a length, and a few can be utilized as feeders that work along with your 3D printer, which means which you can dry and print on the similar time. Do I must dry my filament even when it arrived sealed? Sure. It might sound foolish, however even model new filament that arrives vacuum-sealed can nonetheless be damp throughout the packing and supply course of, and do you actually need to threat trusting the producer and assuming that your filament is ok out of the field?Whereas filament is certainly BETTER when used straight out of the field, there’s a probability it nonetheless might have absorbed moisture, so it is best to dry it out simply to be protected. How lengthy does it take to dry filament? It actually is determined by the kind of materials, and the way a lot you assume it’d want drying out for, based mostly by yourself judgement, i.e when was the final time you dried it? Has it been saved appropriately when not in use? and many others. On the whole, you may anticipate to dry filament from anyplace between 8 hours to 18 hours as a tough ballpark. Are there different strategies of drying filament? Technically sure, however none are as dependable or protected as utilizing a filament dryer. Some individuals have reported utilizing their oven prior to now to dry out filament (I undoubtedly do not advocate doing this), whereas some fashions of 3D printer, such because the Bambu Lab X1C, have the choice to allow you to dry out filament inside the printer’s chamber (when not printing). This may work properly for those who’re in a pinch and want a short lived option to dry filament, however the truth that it’s worthwhile to use the within of the printer to dry out your filament is not best when it’s worthwhile to be printing or have orders to fill because it places your machine out of fee for a number of hours.
