Is it OK to just leave the filament on the printer without putting it back to a sealed bag?
Hi, I accidentally made a big hole from the vacuumed bag to take out a new PLA filament made by Prusa. I did not realize that there is a zipper. Is it OK to just leave the filament on the printer without putting it bad to a sealed bag? If not, could you please recommend me products to seal the filament?
Also, are we supposed to take the filament away from the nozzle once the printing has been done?
Thanks.
RE: Is it OK to just leave the filament on the printer without putting it back to a sealed bag?
I did the exact same thing with my first kit...and I simply used a plastic store bag and the desiccant bag that was included. As long as moisture cant get in, it doesn't need anything special. I leave PLA out for longer than PETG, always leave my filament in the extruder, and only put things away if I won't be printing at all for a day or two.
BUT I am not an expert, just some dude
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RE: Is it OK to just leave the filament on the printer without putting it back to a sealed bag?
If you're actively printing, PLA will usually be OK if left out. You could find a 2 gallon ziploc freezer back and toss it in there with a packet of desiccant for storage.
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RE: Is it OK to just leave the filament on the printer without putting it back to a sealed bag?
Different materials absorb moisture at different rates, and introduces variables in your printing. That said, I've literally left stuff out for years and with PLA at least, its not a huge deal. Nylon? that's another story. I have found that PLA seems to get brittle over a long time out though.
RE: Is it OK to just leave the filament on the printer without putting it back to a sealed bag?
PLA is OK, it just tends to get brittle and can break easily when left exposed to light. Should not affect printing unless it snaps or breaks in Bowden tube when pushing or pulling it (MINI users know what I am talking about, owners of MMU probably too 😀 )
RE: Is it OK to just leave the filament on the printer without putting it back to a sealed bag?
If your looking for a storage box for a few filaments, then look at a 12 Litre Lock & Lock Airtight Storage Box with Carry Handle and Tray.
This will hold 4 reels of filament, throw in some silica gel bags (Or loose under the tray) and it keeps filaments dry and tidily stored.
I have one box for PLA, one for PETG, another for PC / TPU, and one more for part leftover reels which have only a meter or just a few m's left on them.
Normal people believe that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain’t broke, it doesn’t have enough features yet.
RE: Is it OK to just leave the filament on the printer without putting it back to a sealed bag?
PLA is OK, it just tends to get brittle and can break easily when left exposed to light. Should not affect printing unless it snaps or breaks in Bowden tube when pushing or pulling it (MINI users know what I am talking about, owners of MMU probably too 😀 )
ya sir thats true but what can we do now..
RE: Is it OK to just leave the filament on the printer without putting it back to a sealed bag?
Chocki is that the £20 one off amazon ? Id need at least 5 for all my opened rolls lol.
RE: Is it OK to just leave the filament on the printer without putting it back to a sealed bag?
I've been using the jumbo zip lock bags with a few packs of desiccant in each for many years now, works fine, some of the really big bags can hold 2 spools. Just get the heavy duty ones, the thinner plastic ones are too easy to poke holes in.
Just started using TPU, I've read that is very sensitive to moisture so I regenerated my silica gel packets before putting that spool in storage.
RE: Is it OK to just leave the filament on the printer without putting it back to a sealed bag?
@mrschultz02
Thanks for mentioning about the possibility of having poke holes. Since I have different colors, better to use one bag for each spool. What size should I be looking at? Is there a product page?
RE: Is it OK to just leave the filament on the printer without putting it back to a sealed bag?
Chocki is that the £20 one off amazon ? Id need at least 5 for all my opened rolls lol.
These have gone up in price!, they were £15.99 when I bought them, but even then 5 in one go! 🤔
Normal people believe that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain’t broke, it doesn’t have enough features yet.
RE: Is it OK to just leave the filament on the printer without putting it back to a sealed bag?
I use a 5 gallon bucket and a Gamma Seal Lid to store my filament.
This combo works really well. Gamma Seal seems to be pretty generic, so I'm sure they can be found many places. I have to literally stand on the lid to get it to snap onto the bucket.
P.S. I bought a round food dehydrator to dry my filament. Instead of cutting up the original trays, I use an inverted 5 gallon bucket as a lid. I printed a few clips for the lid to sit on. It works very well.
RE: Is it OK to just leave the filament on the printer without putting it back to a sealed bag?
@mrschultz02
Thanks for mentioning about the possibility of having poke holes. Since I have different colors, better to use one bag for each spool. What size should I be looking at? Is there a product page?
I get the Target Brand (up&up) jumbo slider storage bags, you only get 12 in a box but they are thicker plastic than most large freezer bags.