Drying filament - NinjaFlex

[caf...@gmail.com]

Has anyone dried NinjaFlex before?  I finallly got my extruder setup to work with it, but it is popping and leaving voids.

Chris Fulmer
Soquel

Solidoodle(modified)

[Walter Hsiao]

I find it tends to absorb enough moisture to affect print quality if I leave it out for ~24 hours and another day or so in a sealed container with silica gel desiccant restores it.  Sounds like yours might have absorbed more though, which might take longer.  I haven't tried drying it in the oven on warm, but that's another faster option that I usually use with nylon and ABS (I put it on a wood cutting board first).  The oven needs to have a low enough setting though, so I'd test with a sample piece and an empty spool if you're going to try that.

[Chris Fulmer]

Walter,

Do you think 95c from the heated bead of my enclosed printer would be enough?  Also how long do you tend to heat for? 

Also any good sources for silica gel desiccant?

Chris Fulmer
Soquel
Solidoodle(modified)

[Walter Hsiao]

Yeah, that's a good idea.  I'd insulate the spool from the heated bed though, just in case.  In the oven, I'll usually leave the filament in there for a few hours, though I haven't really experimented with how long it needs to be in there (my oven has a warm setting, which is below the 200°F setting).

I like the rechargeable dehumidifers, they're the most convenient option I've found: http://thrinter.com/dehumidifier-mini-review/

I also like the Iris watertight storage boxes from the Container Store, they keep out the moisture better than the backpacking dry bags I was using previously.

[Eric Pavey]

2c : I have a spool of ninjaflex probably two years old now (I print with it very infrequently), never sealed, always left out.  It's one of the most reliable printing filaments I have... I figured it was somehow moisture proof.  Prints the exact same (perfectly) every time.  Although I print pretty slow with it:  30mm\sec @ 230 deg.

[Chris Fulmer]

Eric,

I am that way with ABS because I have a inclosed build chamber without a bowden tube, but to get the NinjaFlex to feed I have to take the enclosure off.  I also live near the coast and somewhere wetter then average.  I started at 20mm/s because of everything I have heard and this being my first time using a flexible filament.

Chris Fulmer

Soquel

[Chris Fulmer]

Anyone that measures the moisture level of their filament, what level do you keep it at?  At this time I am specifically interested in NinjaFlex or other flexible filaments, but it would also be good to know for PLA.

Chris Fulmer
Soquel
Solidoodle