Compatibility with 3rd party filaments?
Before deciding to purchase my first 3D printer, which may likely be the MK4S, I need feedback from users and Prusa:
I live 1 mile from the Pacific Ocean, and humidity is high at my home. I have read that most regular filaments will absorb moisture and print stringy, with other problems also. One company called American Filaments has a new PLA+ that they claim is not prone to absorbing moisture. Maybe users here also know of other filaments that could work OK in my local environment?
Two Questions:
1. Would these newer type filaments be compatible with the MK4S? Does Prusa have newer filaments less prone to
sucking up all the moisture?
2. Do you know of other filament types that have much less trouble absorbing moisture?
If the answer is no, then maybe I should not get into 3D printing where I live. The cost of electric power keeps going up locally,
and if I had to store my filament in heater boxes all month long, the expense might start to get silly?
Thanks in advance for any mentoring / sharing / guidance,
Neal
if I had to store my filament in heater boxes all month long, the expense might start to get silly?
I too live within walking distance of a weather shore - last week humidity hit 100% for a few hours ... exhausting.
I use a dehydrator for my filament - an hour or so before printing, a couple of hours after printing and store in ziplock bags with dessicant.
Mostly I don't use dryboxes as filament is used as fast as the outer layers can absorb water but if you are into multiple colours one or more filaments may be idle absorbing moisture for much of the time. Sometimes long prints begin well and show stringing towards the end but that rarely causes problems.
There is little difficulty deriving workable settings for a new filament - manufacturer's data sheets must provide enough data or they won't sell.
Cheerio,
RE:
Thanks for sharing Diem. So, if I understand correctly, you do not to store filament reels in an electric dryer box running 24 hours a day all month, you just need to put it in the dryer for a couple of hours before printing, and then store it in a zip lock with a desiccant pouch? It is reassuring that you also live near water and apparently are still enjoying 3D printing with good success. I appreciate that info. It sounds like my location should not prevent me from enjoying and learning about 3D printing 🙂
Thanks,
Neal
RE: Compatibility with 3rd party filaments?
The humidity is very high here in NC during the summer, but I have central AC so the humidity in my house is at most 50%.
I store all of my filament spools (PLA and PETG) in dry boxes (18 of them). I am able to print from the dry boxes. I have about 120g of desiccant in the bottom of each box. Each box holds one 1Kg spool or a couple of 250g spools. Each box has a humidity sensor and when the humidity gets to 20% I dry out the desiccant. That gets the humidity a little below 10%. I recently bought a filament dryer. I don't have a definite plan for how often I will use it.
As far as I know I haven't had any print quality issues due to wet filament. I prefer Prusament for PETG but I have a number of generic PLA brands.
RE: Compatibility with 3rd party filaments?
The first sign of wet PLA & PETG is stringing. It is not unusual for new rolls to arrive already damp ... these might need extensive drying to condition for printing but this applies anywhere. Everyone should be prepared for new filament to be damp, you don't know how and for how long it has been stored by the wholesaler & retailer.
You (and I) however must be prepared to dry all filament before use, the drier the better but it's far better to keep it dry than to cycle it. One dessicant pouch is not enough, I might drop in a dozen or so. If it repeatedly gets wet and is dried it will crack and break in a few months. If it gets wet and stays wet it will crack and break - just not quite so quickly.
Some filaments suffer more than others, when the wind is onshore you may find solubles, nylon and TPU unprintable without a drybox.
Cheerio.