Crappy and improperly stored (aka, not dry) filament is a problem and leads to problems in 3d printing.
Using my filament dehydrator has become invaluable to rejuvenating filament. I had some PLA that started snapping if you looked at it. After dehydrating it with gentle heat for 24 hours it is now top notch and plenty pliable (for pla).
Dehydration & heat are necessary for me since I do a lot of tempermental Nylon, amphora, etc filaments and also dye filament (which needs to be dried to set). However, all of my filament now benefits, and if I get bad prints, dehydrating often fixes it.
So, I propose we develop a real solution to filament storage and proper usage:
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Dehydrator: Nesco Snackmaster ($50), only choice IMO. Used to use these in archiving damaged mylar backed audio tape for forensics. Really solid. I use it for filament.
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I drew up some plans for an adapter to place the 13.5" snackmaster on a 5 gal bucket and direct the flow properly to bottom. I can 3d print it on gigabot, but I need more temperature insensitive filament (Taulman guidel!ne, tritan, blu-print (if hotend can do it), maybe tech-G).
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Additional 5Gal buckets filament storage.
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Additional desicating packets, medium, or gun safe dehydrator.
Thought I’d ping people before moving on this. I can’t loan these things to hive anymore (although Ultimaker is coming back, now upgraded beyond ultimaker 2+ standards).
Lorin