{"id":62832,"date":"2020-08-24T06:52:45","date_gmt":"2020-08-24T06:52:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/3dgence-fse-docker.devel8.wlc.team\/is-filament-drying-before-use-necessary-check-why-and-how-you-should-dry-3d-printing-materials-2\/"},"modified":"2025-05-28T07:16:54","modified_gmt":"2025-05-28T07:16:54","slug":"is-filament-drying-before-use-necessary-check-why-and-how-you-should-dry-3d-printing-materials-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/3dgence-druki.devel8.wlc.team\/en\/blog\/is-filament-drying-before-use-necessary-check-why-and-how-you-should-dry-3d-printing-materials-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Is filament drying before use necessary? Check why and how you should dry 3D printing materials."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why do filaments absorb moisture? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most printing materials are highly hygroscopic, which means that they easily absorb ambient moisture. Even tight factory-packaged filament is not always suitable for use when removed out of the box. We should bear in mind that the purchase of the material itself is not the last step before printing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the 3D printing process to run properly, it is essential to prepare the filament properly.<\/a> Filament drying<\/b> at the appropriate temperature eliminates moisture that the filament<\/a> could have absorbed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adverse effect of moisture on filaments <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hygroscopicity, or filament susceptibility to absorb moisture, is an undesirable phenomenon in this case, but it occurs very often, especially among engineering materials. How does it look in practice? Water settles on the outer material layers and penetrates inwards having a direct impact on the 3D printing process and models. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hygroscopicity filaments causes significant problems during the printing process itself, not always visible at first glance. Even a small amount of moisture in the material can have an adverse effect on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. mechanical parameters of the print- when printing with the use of engineering materials that have certain properties, we cannot afford to lose their mechanical parameters <\/b><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. model quality <\/b>– air bubbles may appear on printout walls <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. layer lamination <\/b>– capability of successive print layers to join <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. high porosity <\/b>– the structure of material that has absorbed moisture after printing may be “foamed”. This proves the large number of pores that form when filament<\/a> is extruded from the nozzle. Water molecules in contact with a hot nozzle evaporate forming bubbles. This translates directly into the density of the print structure (as evidenced by a lighter colour) and dimensional accuracy.3d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    Get the 3D printed parts you need just in time<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    The heating temperature is important. That is why it is particularly important to prepare filament for 3D printing <\/strong>in accordance with the specific recommendations for a material and heat it at a temperature that allows for removal of all moisture. At 3DGence, before we issue recommendations, we check various possibilities to make the work of users of industrial 3D printers, 3DGence INDUSTRY F350 and 3DGence INDUSTRY 421, Material Management System as easy as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Rados\u0142aw Wr\u00f3bel, Service and Support Manager at 3DGence<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Filament drying <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The key to obtaining the desired properties of a printed part is proper filament drying<\/b> before printing. What does this process consist in?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To remove excess moisture from material, it is necessary to place a filament spool in a suitable device to dry it. The time and temperature at which the heating operation should be carried out depends on the material used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    At what temperatures should materials be heated? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Most engineering materials should be heated before printing to get rid of the moisture absorbed by 3d printing<\/a> filament <\/a>from the environment. In appropriate annealing conditions, we will observe the evaporation of moisture from material. Be careful when selecting the temperature, too high a temperature can deform filament. It is recommended to follow manufacturer’s guidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How do we know at what temperature to dry the filament before using it? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Before implementing each new material, the 3DGence R&D team checks the conditions under which a given material performs best. Based on its own experience, the team develops recommendations that can be used by every user of 3DGence machines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Check the recommendations for some engineering materials for heating them after removing them out of the box. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    1. PA6 [3DGence]:<\/strong> material that needs to be heated at 85\u00b0C for at least 24 hours. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Nylon 680 [Taulman3D]:<\/strong> material that needs to be heated at 70 – 80\u00b0C for approx. 8 hours. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. ULTEM AM9085F-1010 [Sabic]:<\/strong> material that needs to be heated at 120\u00b0C for at least 24 hours<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. PolyMide CoPa [Polymaker]:<\/strong> <\/b> material that needs to be heated at 60 – 80\u00b0C for approx. 12 hours<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    5. PEKK-A [Kimya]<\/b>:<\/strong> material that needs to be heated at 60\u00b0C for at least 12 hours<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    6. PEEK [3DGence]<\/strong><\/b>: material that needs to be heated at 75\u00b0C for at least 24 hours<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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      PA6 material has been heated at 65\u00b0C for 24h (this temperature is to low for this material)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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      FILAMENT DRYING – PA6 material has been heated at 85\u00b0C for 24h (it’s proper temperature to achieve good results)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

      How to dry filaments? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Proper preparation of materials is necessary for the proper printing process. There are several ways of filament drying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Use a dedicated dryer <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      There are many devices on the market that are dedicated to drying materials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      At 3DGence, we use a professional Drying Oven SLW 53 laboratory dryer or Material Management System to heat materials before use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Filament drying in cooking oven. Is it a good idea? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      The filament drying operation, as an indispensable part of the industrial 3D printing process, should be carried out under fully controlled and predictable conditions. Drying filaments in a cooking oven does not allow full control and may even damage the material and disrupt the entire printing process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Use Material Management System for filaments drying and preparation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      3DGence Material Management System<\/a> ensures each material will be properly dried, and moisture-controlled according to material specification. What’s more entire workflow from material selection, configuration, compartment assignment, rediness is streamlined and intuitive. Watch the video on how to dry filaments with MMS or find out how to get Material Management System 30% off <\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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