Using the Filament Dryer

All 3D printer filaments are made of polymers, which are prone to absorbing moisture

Moisture in the filament can lead to issues such as:

Reduced part strength

Reduced layer adhesion

Uneven extrusion lines

Uncharacteristic blobbing, oozing, or stringing

Textured or "fuzzy" surfaces on the print

If you are getting prints which look something like the chair in the image, drying your filament can help improve the quality of your prints

We solely use PLA in the Maker-E and PLA has a glass transition temperature of 70 degrees C

Set the temperature of the dryer to 50 degrees Celsius by turning the knob to the appropriate setting

50 degrees Celsius gives us a good margin of error for the temperature while still maintaining good drying conditions

Do not set the temperature higher than 50 degrees, doing so can cause the filament to get soft and melt together which will ruin the roll

Up to two rolls can be dried at once

The first roll is inserted on the bottom layer

Align the filament on the metal bracket

Place the white alignment jig over the white pole to ensure the filament is secured

Notice: the alignment jig should be placed on the rod with the narrower side first

Add the second level of the print dry

Place the second roll of filament just as you did with the first roll

Place the cover on the PrintDry

Flip the switch on the dryer to the on position

You should hear the dryer turn on

If not, check to see if it is plugged in properly. The plug is polarized and will only insert a certain way

If you still do not hear the dryer turn on, please notify a technician or Matt.

Typical drying times for PLA filament is around 3-4 hours

Longer dryer times can be utilized to remove even more moisture

Warning! Never use the filament dryer longer than 40 hours straight. This could damage the equipment.

Set a timer for the amount of time you're going to be drying the filament using a timer next to the 3D printers

Don't forget about the filament while it is drying! The PrintDry does not have an auto-off feature

When the filament has finished drying, remove it from the device and turn it off.

Make sure to rebuild the device cavities and to place the cover back on top