Has anybody noticed a difference of printing qualities with filament that's stored without any bagging/moisture protection? How do you store your filament/dry it out?
It's hanging on my wall.. No problems so far..
i keep it in original bags in a cabinet, no problems so far..
I keep mine in a file cabinet with packs of desiccant in the bottom. No problems so far...
I mostly keep mine in Sterlite containers like these:
http://www.sterilite.com/ProductCategory.html?id=46&ProductCategory=46§ion=1
Part numbers 1932, 1933, and 1934 which are all gasketed and presumably seal air-tight. I got them at Target in the US but they should be available from other major stores or even mail order.
Mike
I jest have a shelf on the wall, some of the rolls are a year old and seem to be fine.
No issues here with Z-ABS being open to the air but my experience with PLA (for other printers) was to keep it in a sealed plastic bag with the desiccant pack or it would get so brittle it was unusable.
The amount of problems you have with moisture is probably proportional to the average relative humidity of the room where you store your filament. If you live in a high humidity area (or I should say if your filament lives in a high humidity area) its wise to put it in a sealed container with some desiccant. I do so because I've had issues with ABS (not Zortrax filament) that had moisture. I could see the steam escaping as it was extruded from the nozzle. This keeps the RH under 35% and I only have to recharge the desiccant a couple times a year. It also keeps dust off of your filament. Dust that previously settled on top of a filament roll will accumulate and burn inside the nozzle and will cause a clogged extruder.
I keep my filament in a sealed plastic tote with a rechargeable dessicant system and a humidity monitor.
Tote - pretty much anything that seals on the top. You can find them at Walmart or Target. The better the seal the less you will need to recharge the desiccant.
Rechargeable desiccant - http://www.amazon.com/Eva-dry-Renewable-E-333-Wireless-Dehumidifer/dp/B000H0XFCS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426639854&sr=8-1&keywords=eva+dry
Humidity monitor - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A9W41GI/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I keep my filament on a rack in my poorly-insulated, southeastern Louisiana garage. Haven’t run into any humidity-related issues yet, but I don’t really print anything that would push ABS’ limits so I probably wouldn’t notice any problems anyway.
Is dust getting on the filament a concern?
Mike
Is dust getting on the filament a concern?
Mike
It could be.. You could print a small tube or box and put sponge in it. Run filament through that to wipe dust off as it prints. I have had no issues though..
Is dust getting on the filament a concern?
Mike
I'd personally be the most concerned about hair (pets), but like Kyle said you can print a cleaner. Just look up 'filament cleaner' on thingiverse.
Good point about pet hair - we have a cat and hairs from her frequently foul up my optical mouse.
most definitely you want to keep the dust off your filament the dust can go into your extruder tip and plug it up a cleaner is not hard to make
Dust does not melt and turns into Carbon when heated up and it will clog your nozzles over time. We have machines running as long as possible in the office, so we have everything protected from dust.
-Michael