Should I change the silica desiccant in my filament dryer?
As the headline says, should I change til silica desiccant in my filament dryer every now and then? Or does it need changing at all? In my mind it should dry together with the filament when I use it, and only have an effect as a storage aid, but what do I know 🙂
I am new to filament dryers, so any input form people with experience is welcome!
RE: Should I change the silica desiccant in my filament dryer?
My logic tells me that if the silica gel would dry together with the filament, what is the point of putting it in? The net result is 0.
Furthermore, drying silica gel is usually done at higher temperatures than those for drying filament.
But don't trust my logic. You can test it for yourself by doing some experiments and weighing the silica gel before and after to see how much moisture it absorbed.
RE: Should I change the silica desiccant in my filament dryer?
The desiccant works by soaking in moisture from the surrounding air - so if it's in a drybox with your filament, the idea is that it reduces moisture in the air by soaking it in. You then 'dry' the desiccant by heating it in a microwave/oven for a while in order to 'reset' it.
While desiccant therefore attempts to 'condition' the air around the filament within its drybox, it is not a means of drying the filament itself. Just as you heat the desiccant to dry it, you need to do the same with your filament.
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RE: Should I change the silica desiccant in my filament dryer?
There will be some drying effect by storing it in a dry environment, however it's slow. There have been a few people who have experimented with this and the results showed that after putting undried filament in the drybox that three RH stayed elevated for multiple days before dropping back off. This would suggest that some moisture is being pulled from the filament, and if I remember correctly was verified by weighing the filament.
That being said the main purpose of the drybox is to keep the filament dry, not dry it. Like @iftibashir said you need to heat it to dry it effectively, then store it in a drybox.
RE: Should I change the silica desiccant in my filament dryer?
Absolutely dry it. I buy bags of 50g and put in my dry boxes and need to dry them every few months, depending on humidity. If you don't have a scale that can weigh 250g or so, you'll need to get a cheap one. I think CNCKitchen did a video that showed not drying the desiccant can increase the humidity in your filament and shorten its useful life. I dry mine in a microwave at 2 of 10 for power (defrost) for 5 minute sessions (1 pack at a time). I dry them down to about 51g and reuse.
As the headline says, should I change til silica desiccant in my filament dryer every now and then? Or does it need changing at all? In my mind it should dry together with the filament when I use it, and only have an effect as a storage aid, but what do I know 🙂
I am new to filament dryers, so any input form people with experience is welcome!
RE: Should I change the silica desiccant in my filament dryer?
Sorry for late response (sleep and work got in the way 🙂 ), and thank you all for the input! I guess I just will dry the desiccant in the oven every now and then. I have a heated filament dryer (Creality Space Pi Plus), and my reasoning was that if the filament lets the moisture out to the air inside the dryer, so should the desiccant. But what do I know, really, I am just an x-ray tech 😀
Anyway, I will take your advice, and just dry the desiccant in the oven every now and then 🙂
RE: Should I change the silica desiccant in my filament dryer?
I don't use a heated/active filament dry box, so I'm unsure of its effect on the desiccant. But an easy way to find out is just to weigh the dessicant (now assuming you know the dry weight.. so that is why 50 or 100g packs are nice). Weigh it dry and then put in the active dry box and weigh it after a few weeks to see what is happening. The oven would be tricky to dry without melting it, I am guessing.. the microwave works really well.. although I did melt one pack learning how low to set the power 🙂
RE: Should I change the silica desiccant in my filament dryer?
If you need desiccant look for some that will change color as it absorbs moisture. When dry it is, usually, blue. As it absorbs moisture it will gradually turn pink. When its all pink it has absorbed all the moisture it can and needs to be dried out. I was a transmission lineman and we used this type of desiccant in the booms of our high voltage bucket trucks to help prevent current leakage down the boom. Had a small toaster oven in the shop and about once a month would pull the desiccant canister out and bake it till it dried out and turned blue again.
RE: Should I change the silica desiccant in my filament dryer?
Thanks! That is a good idea! I´ll try that
RE: Should I change the silica desiccant in my filament dryer?
Silica gel desiccants that are blue when dry and turn pink when saturated with moisture contain cobalt salts. Those were common time ago, but nowadays most of the stuff that you'll find on Amazon or other sites are different. Usually they’re white silica gel beads with some of these beads colored amber/yellow when dry. The color changes gradually into green and finally deep blue when totally saturated. Color wise, this is the reverse of the older desiccants with cobalt nitrate. So, pay attention at which desiccant you get.
RE: Should I change the silica desiccant in my filament dryer?
One thing about colour changing desiccants is they start to change colour at a about 20% or higher which means it may not be keeping your filament dry when you think it is. I know that the desiccant in my storage boxes were still orange when the humidity was over 20%. I switched to Activated Alumina as a desiccant as it holds more moisture and can be dried quicker at a higher temperature than is safe for silica. It is used for industrial processes.