Flashforge filament drying station

The tendency to absorb moisture, also known as hygroscopy, is a very frequent phenomenon in the world of polymers. Some plastics are affected by it more than others, which can prove very problematic in 3D printing. Even a small percentage of humidity will have a negative impact on the properties of materials such as nylon, PC, ABS, PC-ABS, ASA, PET, PVA, as well as most carbon fiber and glass fiber filaments, and wood and metal filled materials.

Image 1: How the Flashforge filament drying station works. Source: Flashforge.

The Flashforge filament drying station can help with the drying of all those materials to avoid the dire consequences of humid filaments - surface quality defects and a deterioration in material properties, eventually leading to the inability to meet the requirements of the end application. The difference that using the filament drying station makes can be illustrated with the following examples. A part 3D printed with dried PAHT has the impact resistance increased by 100 % and the tensile strength by 26 %, and a part printed with dried PA12 CF show 25 % more impact resistance and 50 % more tensile strength than a part printed with humid PA12 CF.

Image 2: The effects of humidity on the 3D printed part. Source: Flashforge.

Using the Flashforge filament drying station allows for full control of the printing quality and leads to a marked improvement in the 3D printing workflow. The drying station has a capacity for 6 1 kg spools of filament or 2 spools of 2.5 kg. The maximum drying temperature is 120 ºC, the storage humidity control range is 10-20 % and the maximum humidity level is 5 %.

Image 3: The Flashforge filament drying station can fit 2-6 spools. Source: Flashforge.

The filament drying station dries the filament with the help of 1 kg of reusable desiccant. When the desiccant absorbs moisture and reaches its saturation, the system will automatically start the regeneration mode, and the moisture in the desiccant will be discharged through hot air circulation. This way the desiccant can be reused for 1 year, which makes the Flashforge filament drying station an extremely economical and environmentally friendly filament drying solution.

Image 4: The reusable desiccant in the Flashforge filament drying station. Source: Flashforge.

The drying station is very easy to use. After placing the spools inside the device's drawer, the user only has to select the filament to be dried according prompts displayed on the 4.3-inch touch screen. The system will automatically match the appropriate drying temperature and duration. The user interface is available in English, German, French, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.

Image 5: The intelligent user interface automatically matches drying parameters to the material. Source: Flashforge.

The filament drying station is a multifunctional product as it also serves as a mobile filament storage unit (it is equipped with wheels), thus saving the user storage space and making the 3D printing workflow organized and the workspace compact. Introducing the Flashforge filament drying station into the 3D printing process will significantly agilize preparation time and reduce the start time of printing projects by eliminating the need for time-consuming and not always effective predyrying of filaments. Instead, the user can sit back and relax, and let the Flashforge filament drying station take care of everything.