How do filament dryers work?  

RE: How do filament dryers work?

Not very well, the moist air needs a path to escape. You should open the cover a little bit to improve efficiency. I have added a fan mod to my Sunlu S1 dryer, there are many other similar mods available. I have also placed a bluetooth sensor inside the cover and I can follow the drying progress. Big difference if the cover is closed or cracked open a little bit.

RE: How do filament dryers work?

I would agree with Walter for most of the small dryers but the bigger ones do work well. I've got a Sunlu S4 which has a humidity sensor built in so you can set the humidity you want, it vents some air and works well. I no longer use my S1

The PrintDry Pro3 is also supposed to be very good.

RE: How do filament dryers work?

Filament dryers don't work? That has been my suspicion. I bought all the parts to build several 3 or 4 years ago, but couldn't bring myself to do it since the mode of operation makes no sense to me.

There are so many who swear by them, and so many sold on Amazon. I am amazed that they are so universally recommended.

Thanks, Walter.

RE: How do filament dryers work?

Thanks, JP Guitars. I will do more homework.

RE:

I did not say that they (meaning the simple/older dryers without a fan and which are completely closed) do not work at all, just that you have to help them a bit to be more effective. If the humid hot air cannot escape, the drying effect is very limited in such a closed system. The simplest way is either to wedge something under the hood part to keep it from closing completely (an opening of about 2 mm is enough) or to drill some holes into the top to let the humid hot air escape. There also are printable spool cores that you can fill with silicagel packs which can absorb part of the moisture. If you are worried that all the hot air is escaping and the temperature inside will not be high enough, you can open the hood/holes just part of the time, that lets enough of the humidity escape. For closing the holes you drilled into the top of the hood you can print some kind of cover, you have a 3D printer after all. Putting a fan inside also helps to let the air absorb more moisture from the filament. Upgrading an existing dryer that you have bought already this way is cheaper, more eco-friendly and more fun than just buying a newer one with all the bells and whistles. This is a maker community, not a buyer community (at least that is what I thought so far) ... 😉
But if you do not already have one of those fan-less dryers, buy one that has a built-in fan. And some kind of humidity sensor for monitoring the progress is also a good idea.

RE: How do filament dryers work?

I goofed my answer. I meant to say that many filament dryers do not work as designed.

I appreciate your tips, Walter.

Tom

RE: How do filament dryers work?

Tom, 

I use a SunLu S4 and S1 to dry 5 spools while running the Mk4S MMU3.  Dry filaments are pretty important for quality printing, but critical to lessen stringing when doing multifilament or printing at high resolution.  I open it about 3mm to dry it and close it to keep it dry while printing multiple days.  I'm very satisfied with both.  Printing quality is 100% better with dry filaments.

RE: How do filament dryers work?

Thanks for the tip.