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3D Printer Filament Storage
As the number of 3D Printers continues to balloon, more and more people are discovering the flexibility and power of being able to make whatever they need from scratch. Those same people tend to discover very quickly the storage and maintenance of filaments can make a huge difference between a library of materials and an unusable waste of money. Exposed Polymers will degrade over time due to Hydrolysis which takes the water molecules in the air and breaks the chemical bond - leading to less rigid or delaminating layered prints. 3D printers commonly use plastic filaments like PLA, PETG, and ABS to (layer by layer) extrude the material into the desired shape. A long thin cable of material wrapped around a spool is fed in, and melted to a working temperature for printing. As strong as some of these Polymers can be, conditions like high humidity can deteriorate a stock of filament - especially while it is stored long term on its roll.
Left print made using saturated filament
Tips for good filament storage and mitigating moisture
1. Find an air-tight container to store rolls in.
Many home enthusiasts take this as an opportunity to display their filament "collection" in unique and interesting ways. This can be a great project - but remember that it needs to be contained well enough to control the environmental conditions inside.
2. Remove or open filament rolls from plastic bags.
While it might make sense to keep your roll sealed in the plastic bag it was shipped in until use, there is a chance the filament or the bag has humidity sitting inside already. The most surefire way to make sure the materials are in good condition, is to remove them from the sealed bag and allow it to dehumidify. If you do not want to use rigid container, the spools can be sealed in high barrier pouches with appropriate desiccants (see next step) inside.
3. Remove the moisture from air in the container.
Depending on the material, most people try to maintain their Relative Humidity (RH) level around 30% to avoid saturated filament. Some more performant materials will require RH levels closer to 10% to be stored safely for long periods. No matter how low you need the level to get, the next step should be removing the moisture and keeping that level consistently low. To achieve this, there are two main methods of extracting moisture from the air:
Dehumidifier
These relatively compact machines will draw the moisture out of the surrounding air. For those who already own one, this is a good way to get RH levels consistent. While they can't generally get the RH level down to single digits, it can work for materials that can be kept at 30% - 50% RH. The downside to this solution is it requires a plug to run the machine, and has a large enough footprint that it is difficult to position in the storage unless built around. Unless you are going custom built, most standard storage solutions are not made to accommodate this style of machine.
Desiccant Packets
While you might be used to seeing these moisture removing pouches in medical or electronic devices, they can be one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways of removing moisture from a space. For exotic polymer filaments that need RH down in the single digits, a high sorbent pouch made with something like Molecular Sieve is going to aggressively remove moisture from the surrounding area. These packets can also be small enough that they can be tossed into any container you are using for the filaments without needing to worry about space. The main downside to desiccants is they can saturate over long periods of time to become less effective until replaced or reactivated. By drying saturated packets for long periods to evaporate the moisture, the same desiccants can be used multiple times.
4. RH Measurement.
In either case, there should be something that will indicate if the RH level of the storage unit starts to rise. Some enthusiasts will include an electronic humidity reader. If the RH level you need is consistent, Relative Humidity Indicating cards can be a quick and easy way to see when desiccants need to be replaced. The color changes depending on the surrounding moisture levels. As the RH increases, more of the indicator card spots will change. And unlike the electronic devices, these require no batteries.
