Filament Drying Desiccant Usage Instructions
Note: If you just received our desiccant, we recommend following the recharging instructions below before its first use for optimal performance.
Gather the materials you will need:
- Filament Drying Desiccant
- A spool of filament that needs to be dried (spoiler alert, all spools need to be dried! Even many of the ones you just took out of the packaging)
- A storage container of some type, such as an airtight zip bag or a plastic container with a seal
- Humidity Indicator Card (optional)
Removing the Packaging from the Filament Drying Desiccant Canister
Be careful not to twist the lid when removing the shrink wrap and plastic cap. The first recharge cycle will make the lid more secure.
Be careful not to twist the lid when removing the shrink wrap and plastic cap. The first recharge cycle will make the lid more secure.
1. Locate the canister
2. Find the perforation in the shrink wrap
3. Remove the shrink wrap
4. Remove the plastic cap by twisting it in a clockwise direction
Warning: twisting the plastic cap in the counter clockwise direction will remove the metal lid as well as the plastic cap. You risk spilling little desiccant spheres all over the place. Ask us how we know...
Using the Filament Drying Desiccant
1. Insert the canister into the center of a spool of filament
2. Store your filament in an airtight container such as a sealed zip bag or plastic container with a seal
3. Place a Humidity Indicator Card inside your airtight container. The indicator card acts as a hygrometer, displaying the relative humidity level of your storage environment. Using a humidity indicator card is simple and straightforward. If the bottom circle turns pink, it's an indication that you will need to recharge your desiccant soon. Once the middle circle turns pink, it's time to recharge. And if the top circle turns pink, it's a sign that your filament may be saturated with moisture and needs to be dried out before being stored again. Because the card indicates the relative humidity of the environment it is in, it will arrive with a certain humidity indicated due to storage and shipping. Please allow it to adjust to your environment.
Note: A humidity indicator card will need to be purchased separately.
The Filament Drying Desiccant will reduce relative humidity (RH%) to almost 0 in an airtight container over the course of approximately 6-10 hours. Please see the white paper on our website for more details.
Many inexpensive hygrometers will only detect as low as 20% RH. To ensure appropriate detection of relative humidity in a sealed chamber, consider purchasing a hygrometer with a low detection threshold.
Recharging Instructions
Desiccants work by absorbing moisture in their surroundings. The Filament Drying Desiccant is super good at this job, but even it will get saturated with water molecules eventually. To recharge it, simply toss the whole canister into an oven at 250°C or greater for 2 hours to remove the water.