I’ve been working on a filament dry box for my printing setup. I want to be able to switch filaments as quickly as possible, so I’ve got PTFE tubes for each filament long enough to go all the way to the extruder. No time wasted recoiling filament, no tangles, always dry filament, 10 different spools all set up for easy access.
The front row of filaments have been running for a few months. They have a series of filament rollers on the base of the weather tight container. It works okay, but since the plastic container is a bit flimsy, the rolls are not held perfectly upright. For the back row I switched to a threaded rod that holds bearings with printed roller guides. I’ve only got one spool on there so far, but it seems extremely stable. I’ll be switching the from row over soon too.
Here’s a shot showing it with my printer. I’ll probably figure out some hooks or something to hang the inactive PTFE tubes out of the way, but it works fine like this for now.
Yeah, I got some colour changing silica beads in an open container in the back corner (not visible in the picture). I’ll transfer them to a mesh bag or something in the future to avoid any spills.
No humidity sensor yet, but I have an ESP-8266 board, high range humidity sensor, and battery here so I can set up an alert if the humidity gets too high. It is important to have at least 3 more projects on the go than can possibly be completed.
I made a similar box, but added a 24watt heat pad (aquarium style). Using a wood shaft for now so the bottom of the box is free to have the heat pad and some dessicant !
For the unused ptfe tubes I used another quick connect so the other end goes back in the box when not in use!
If anyone is thinking of adding heat reptile heaters might make sense. They are intended for surface heating not water systems. Flex watt or heat cable. The cable might make most sense it gets warm but not crazy hot and is available in short lengths. Cheap thermostats might be useful or not.
I am using Iris brand 62qt “WeatherTight” bins. I got mine from containerstore.com, but they are available elsewhere. Mine arrived with some broken and some missing parts, but Container Store refunded me for the affected bins.
Originally I had my colour sensitive silica gel sitting loose in some open containers, but I those containers don’t fit anymore with the box full, so I found some mesh drawstring bags that should improve the surface area for drying and also keep the silica contained in case the box gets dropped.
I decided to add a small section of PTFE tube at the ends to help guide the filament through the support. I’m not sure it was necessary. Or I might find it very useful and add it to the middle sections as well. We shall see.
All in all, pretty pleased with this. I still need to add hooks or something on the outside to keep the PTFE from getting too tangled, but that is a very minor issue so will probably stay like that for a while.
that’s impressive, i wish there was something besides the desiccate bags to keep it truly dry.
I have rolls on the wall that now I have to pull out and put in the print dry for a couple of hours before I use it. I haven’t gotten nearly as organized as this.
