Filament polymers are known to absorb moisture which will affect the quality of your print. Whether you use Nylon, PVA, PETT, PLA, PC or ABS or other exotic material filaments, keeping these filaments dry in a humidity-controlled environment is critical to a successful print.

Our Dry Cabinet ADL-3D77 features <20%RH storage environment, suitable for maintaining most filaments in optimal moisture content levels to produce a great print.

The water molecule’s boiling point is approximately 100 °C. Depending on the type of filament material, the extrusion temperature ranges from 160 °C to 250 °C. So any presence of moisture in the filaments will produce steam and bubbles, causing interference with the flow of plastic out of the hot end and creating unwanted pockets within the finished object.

Storing your 3D printing filaments in a humidity-controlled dry box will prevent moisture absorption and eliminate flow interference at the hot end. 

Some filament materials (like nylon, and PVA) are more hygroscopic than others, which means it has an inherent quality to attract ambient moisture. If filament spools are exposed to ambient humidity for long periods of time without any storage solution in place, moisture-related problems will soon appear during printing. A complicated project could take hours or even days to complete. When a project has been set to run on its own, the discovery of problems is often too late. Moisture absorbed in the filament could cause obstructions to the printer’s hot end and may require it to be replaced. Furthermore, moisture absorption can also affect the tensile strength of the filaments and the output objects.