In my last post, I presented 5 tips to solve the “3D print not sticky” issue. I would like to address the last tip with more details in this post because people tend to take it for granted that the filament is always “new” if it is still in a spool. The truth is — 3d print filament will expire or deteriorate if not being properly preserved.
Well, it is true that the 3D print filaments are just some sort of plastic, which I don’t think, will expire. However, they do have the shelf life because the filaments absorb moisture from the air, especially in a humid environment, like our indoor living space. Wet filament becomes brittle and harder to stick during printing. So, the best way to avoid all these troubles is to use brand new filaments. I understand this may not necessarily apply to everyone for many cases. So, if you have unused filaments, don’t just hang them on the back of the machine unattended for days and weeks, which is going to be a guarantee to ruin the material.
As a 3d printing enthusiast, I highly recommend the budget-friendly ziploc + desiccant (or drying beads) method to store the 3d filaments. Both the ziploc bags and drying beads are available under 10 dollars for a bunch. When you need to store your filament, just fill in with drying beads and seal the bag, your filament is good to rest for a while until you see the beads’ color changes. Beads start with light orange color when they are dry, then turn to brown after absorbing moisture, then dark brown, and eventually become the dark green, that’s the signal when they’ve saturated. But you don’t need to throw them away. They can be easily reactivated to a fresh dry start using a microwave. Thaw the beads for a few minutes in a microwave using the defrost setting. And you will have your orange color beads back, ready for the next job.
If you would like to take one step further by spending a little bit more money. This filament dryer box is your to-go option. It can be used as a filament holder during the printing job while keeping the humidity level at your programmed setting. Or it can also be used as a standalone dryer box, automatically tumbling and drying the filament. Just leave your wet filament in the dryer box for some time, your old spool will be ready to rock and roll for your next print again.
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