I designed something similar for what I believe is the exact same box. My first iteration used bearings, but I had issues with the roll of filament spinning too easily. I changed the design to use a solid shaft with printed bushing instead. Now it works great. I also designed a desiccant holder that attaches to my lid. I went with Govee bluetooth hygrometers for their small size and ability to accurately read low humidity levels.
Yes, while the hygrometers I used only cost about $3 each, I did see some rectangular models that only cost about a dollar if bought in bulk. There are a few filament drybox designs available online. One of the issues is that the boxes used often are not available. I printed a couple of other designs but I could not make them fit in the boxes I found, or the boxes needed were ridiculously expensive.
And the container stays as it were originally, with no screw holes. The filament exits through the small opening, held in check by a printed ‘funnel’ with a catch that keeps the filament from rolling back into the lid.
I too have made something similar, but instead of an axle running through the sides of the box, I’ve made what I call a ‘skate’, i.e., four grooved rollers on a backbone (that sits on the bottom of the box, with the rollers up in the air). The spool edges roll on those grooved rollers. This makes replacing the spool inside the box a cinch: just lift the old spool and put in a new one.
I had seen one of those before designing mine (perhaps the one you made?), but it did not seem to fit the boxes I had purchased. Feel free to post a link here. We all like choices. So often when I search for designs online I find that someone simply used different words or names for whatever I am seeking, and I needlessly end up drawing my own designs.
@@JANtheDane drawing one's own design is rarely something done needlessly. Getting to design is a great way to learn how to design something properly (not that I'm saying yours wasn't designed properly-but rather that the design process is one of looking for flaws to fix and improve, rinse and repeat-a professor of mine even said: "learn when to say 'enough!' to a design process"-often we end up in a quagmire of lateral non-improvements that only consume time without any real improvement. .
I saved myself the trouble and hot glued the hygrometer in place. Given that these things have good battery life, it is unlikely that I'll have to deal with that any time soon.
It depends. If you use the drybox right after opening the manufacturers vacuum sealed container, I would think it is already dry. Additionally, if you use fresh desicant (and lots of it), the filament should dry with time. The hygrometer reading should tell you. TPU seems especially prone to moisture problems.
@@JANtheDane I got a spool of TPU from Geeetech and put it straight into the dryer despite the fact that it seemed to have been sealed well (air whoosh when punctured). 12 hours later (my Sunlu S1 only goes to 55C) the spool lost 7g of moisture. ~0.7% of moisture by weight isn't insignificant, so I glad I did that.
Best way is to recharge the desiccants, is to bake them in the oven for 4-8 hours at 200. The packets will have been partly depleted and wont work well in this manner if you use them this way... recharge them first. You can also use the microwave aswell, but you have to be careful you don't burn them, as that happens easily.
I designed something similar for what I believe is the exact same box. My first iteration used bearings, but I had issues with the roll of filament spinning too easily. I changed the design to use a solid shaft with printed bushing instead. Now it works great. I also designed a desiccant holder that attaches to my lid. I went with Govee bluetooth hygrometers for their small size and ability to accurately read low humidity levels.
Yes, while the hygrometers I used only cost about $3 each, I did see some rectangular models that only cost about a dollar if bought in bulk.
There are a few filament drybox designs available online. One of the issues is that the boxes used often are not available. I printed a couple of other designs but I could not make them fit in the boxes I found, or the boxes needed were ridiculously expensive.
And the container stays as it were originally, with no screw holes. The filament exits through the small opening, held in check by a printed ‘funnel’ with a catch that keeps the filament from rolling back into the lid.
Oops replied to the wrong comment.
I like your no BS STYLE.
Very clear instructions.
Glad you like them!
I too have made something similar, but instead of an axle running through the sides of the box, I’ve made what I call a ‘skate’, i.e., four grooved rollers on a backbone (that sits on the bottom of the box, with the rollers up in the air). The spool edges roll on those grooved rollers. This makes replacing the spool inside the box a cinch: just lift the old spool and put in a new one.
I had seen one of those before designing mine (perhaps the one you made?), but it did not seem to fit the boxes I had purchased. Feel free to post a link here. We all like choices.
So often when I search for designs online I find that someone simply used different words or names for whatever I am seeking, and I needlessly end up drawing my own designs.
@@JANtheDane drawing one's own design is rarely something done needlessly. Getting to design is a great way to learn how to design something properly (not that I'm saying yours wasn't designed properly-but rather that the design process is one of looking for flaws to fix and improve, rinse and repeat-a professor of mine even said: "learn when to say 'enough!' to a design process"-often we end up in a quagmire of lateral non-improvements that only consume time without any real improvement. .
I saved myself the trouble and hot glued the hygrometer in place.
Given that these things have good battery life, it is unlikely that I'll have to deal with that any time soon.
@@thenoddingturtle Hot glue is very easy to remove and replace, so I doubt you will have issues.
Great ingenuity!
Thank you
So do you still need to dry in a dryer first then put it inside the box or will it dry in the box only aswell?
It depends. If you use the drybox right after opening the manufacturers vacuum sealed container, I would think it is already dry. Additionally, if you use fresh desicant (and lots of it), the filament should dry with time. The hygrometer reading should tell you. TPU seems especially prone to moisture problems.
@@JANtheDane I got a spool of TPU from Geeetech and put it straight into the dryer despite the fact that it seemed to have been sealed well (air whoosh when punctured). 12 hours later (my Sunlu S1 only goes to 55C) the spool lost 7g of moisture.
~0.7% of moisture by weight isn't insignificant, so I glad I did that.
@thenoddingturtle yes, all my TPU prints improved after drying
Best way is to recharge the desiccants, is to bake them in the oven for 4-8 hours at 200.
The packets will have been partly depleted and wont work well in this manner if you use them this way... recharge them first.
You can also use the microwave aswell, but you have to be careful you don't burn them, as that happens easily.
I recharge the desicant in the microwave set on defrost. Takes only a few minutes
200C or 200F?
@@rackbites Fahrenheit...