Dryer connection  

RE: Dryer connection

I would avoid the Polymaker dryer unless you only plan on using it with PETG and PLA. It can only reach up to 55C. I do however use the Polymaker dry boxes to store my filament. I use a PTFE coupler with a short length of PTFE tubing. Not the one that comes with the box, they are garbage. Too stiff so I just throw them out. Just pick up several meters from Amazon (or Alibaba etc) and cut as needed. If you want a decent dryer with a great UI, I would suggest the Creality Space Pi 4

PTFE Tube Kit

PC4-M6 Pneumatic Straight Fitting

Polymaker PolyDryer Box PC4-M6 Coupler Adapter

RE: Dryer connection

Thanks hyiger. It is confusing because one thread says the Polymaker dryer or Sunlu are great. I never heard of the Creality Space Pi 4. It looks good, but $200. ouch this is an expensive hobby.

RE:

>> Creality Space Pi 4

+1 on that one (I got mine after hyiger recommended it months ago).

But, work with what you've got. Just run for 24 hours - you can't do permanent damage to regular filament types by over-drying. I find it hard to imagine 55 °C would leave enough moisture to be an issue. The diffusion speed of water in plastic increases strongly with temperature so you may just have to wait a little longer than what a higher-temperature-dryer could achieve.

For the ASA I'm printing I have to stay well below Space Pi's maximum settings or the bone-dry filament gets unworkably brittle and some (depending on brand) spools deform.

RE: Dryer connection

Posted by: @mnentwig

For the ASA I'm printing I have to stay well below Space Pi's maximum settings or the bone-dry filament gets unworkably brittle and some (depending on brand) spools deform.

Yup. The absolute worst were the Prusament spools with the cardboard inserts. If you were drying PC, PA or PP you had to wire or bolt the plastic ends of the spool together or the adhesive on the cardboard would soften and cause the spool to fall apart. A very, very, very stupid design. They've since fixed this with the new spools but took them 5 years. 

RE: Dryer connection

Posted by: @phil-16

Thanks hyiger. It is confusing because one thread says the Polymaker dryer or Sunlu are great. I never heard of the Creality Space Pi 4. It looks good, but $200. ouch this is an expensive hobby.

"Great" is a very subjective term. It really depends on your use case. If you are printing mostly PETG, PLA or TPU then the Polymaker dryer is totally fine. If you are using PA (nylon) then it is totally useless. Sunlu is OK but it has a crappy and hard to use UI. 

Compared to my other hobbies, 3D printing is relatively cheap. If you want a very inexpensive hobby that can allow you to create your own things, try knitting 🙂 

RE: Dryer connection

I am not using PA. I just ordered a spool of TPU. But right now I need to dry my PETG cuz I am getting stringy prints.

RE: Dryer connection

Posted by: @phil-16

I am not using PA. I just ordered a spool of TPU. But right now I need to dry my PETG cuz I am getting stringy prints.

Not using PA now, but who knows? 

For PETG, it's not as convenient as a dedicated dryer, but you can dry the filament in your printer. Set the bed to 60°, place the spool flat then cover it with half of a filament box. Leave it there for 5-6 hrs. For the TPU do not trust that it will be dry fresh from the box. I strongly recommend immediately drying it after removing for the packaging. 

RE: Dryer connection

For any filament, do not trust that it will be dry out of the box.  I had two spools of Prusament PETG that hissed and popped when printing.  And it was the first PETG that I ever printed.  Dried the filament and it was great.  Before drying, it wouldn't even stick to the bed on the first layer.  I thought my printer was broken!  It wasn't, it was just very wet filament. 

I now print direct from a dryer.  Doesn't matter what it is, I use the dryer now.  My dryer will go up to 85C.  And it was a lot more expensive than I ever expected.  But it made for successful prints.  There's nothing more disappointing than having a nine hour print get botched.  Try that a few times in a row...  That was TPU, before I learned about dry filament.  Never had print failures after that due to moisture issues.

RE: Dryer connection

I ordered the Creality Space Pi 4 and 2 Polymaker Dry Boxes. Thanks for all your suggestions. Especially, hygier's comment about "not printing PA now, but who knows?" This is so true. I don't want to be blocked from printing what I want. 

BTW, I've ordered the PTFE kit, fittings and printed the couplers in PETG.

RE: Dryer connection

PETG for the couplers is a solid choice but they will eventually wear out when you start printing abrasive filaments. I printed mine in PC Blend.

You'll love the Space Pi 4. It has a very intuitive screen and I like the fact it has independent chambers so I can dry two different types of filament at the same time.

RE: Dryer connection

Just a few hints taken from a very reliable source (Fillamentum, Czech manufacturer of high quality filaments ).  

1- You can -and you will-  damage some types of filament not only by overheating, but by drying it too many hours as well.

2 - Unlike some drier manufacturers say, you won’t dry well TPU at low temperatures (50-55C)  no matter how many hours you leave the spools it in the drier. In fact trying to dry TPU at 50C is worse than not drying it at all, because  at those temps. the filament absorbs water faster than at room temperature. For TPU you need at least 80C to dry it well, but you can’t do that more than two or three times with the same spool. After that the filament starts to degrade.

3- You can damage nylon by drying it several hours at temperatures higher than 80-85C. That goes for annealing too. Above 85C many nylon polymers starts to oxo-degrade and the mechanical properties go downhill fast. Some nylons might be more sensitive than others of course, but be careful.

RE: Dryer connection

Concerning TPU, that is mostly correct. Depends on the formulation. Always best to check the data sheet. 

With regard to nylon, depends on the specific blend but most nylons (especially PA6) require some moisture or they become too brittle to print. So you can over dry them. However, this is (usually) a temporary condition. You can just leave it out in the open for an hour or two and it should be good to go.