S5 direct cover for moisture protection

[HPW 0]

Hello,

 

I am new to Ultimaker and 3D-Printing.

I am interested in Nylon/pva printing.

I read a lot here about problems with filament drying and moisture protection.

There are solutions like Polybox from Polymaker.

But when using that,the original filament holder is unused.

No use of NFC- filament detection.

So wouldn't it be better to build a cover that is attached to the S5 back.

It would contain a silicea pack and would hold the spools dry in their original positions.

By the way: For the price of an S5 it would even nicer if Ultimaker build such filament cabinet into the S5 unit.

 

Regards

Hans-Peter

[Smithy 1,144]

I use the Polybox which is simple but works great. I have no need to use the NFC function, it only detects the spool when loading but you can also choose the material manually. There is no more difference or other functionality behind the NFC detection.

 

I think I have seen a DIY box for the back of the printer somewhere on Thingiverse. But I don't think it will be so airtight that it works like a Polybox. They use just a IKEA Box with some printed parts.

 

A dedicated dry box from Ultimaker which fits nicely on the printer would be great, but I don't know the roadmap if such a box is planned. On the other hand, the S5 has an extension port on the back. So maybe we will see some addons in the future.

[gr5 2,167]

I print a lot of Nylon and PVA works extremely well with Nylon.

 

I bought a box of 2 gallon zip locks.  I keep one or two spools in each bag.  I also bought these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JOPJ0HA/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_pGpDDb61T4H25

 

Which are rechargable.  When they lose their red color I microwave them.

 

Then I just put the spools on the printer.  If humidity is > 60% you might want to keep the spool in the bag.  I did that a few times but haven't done that in the last year and the filament works great.  I have had a few spools get "wet" when I left them out for a few weeks but it was easy enough to dry them (put them on the heated bed overnight under a towel).

 

When filament gets very wet you can hear it pop and fizzle as the steam boils as you print.  Or if it's only a little wet the nylon comes out more like snow instead of transparent.

 

I'm not sure why anyone needs to buy a "vegetable dryer" when the printer has this built in temperature controlled heated bed.

 

Oh - and like Smithy says, no need to use the NFC chip.  It takes maybe 4 extra seconds to scroll down to Nylon and select that.

[Carla_Birch 116]

If you really want the NFC reader and a Polybox you could make a mount for it inside the Polybox, personally as others say not really any need for the NFC unless you really track the amount of filament you have left for prints.

 

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2993354

 

[Cymon 5]

On 9/8/2019 at 8:58 AM, Smithy said:

I use the Polybox which is simple but works great.

Do you also have the problem, that the spools (especially the PVA) gets dragged off the axles? Do you put the filament through the top or the side holes?

 

 

An enclosure on the back would be great, but unless you seal it with (for example) silicone to the back of the printer or (if it has all sides closed) seal the openings where the spool holder, the power cable and the network cable go through, you won't achieve a dry air environment. Even the polybox is not airtight an catches moisture over time.

[Smithy 1,144]

Yes, I have that problem too, but if I solve it by putting a second spool in it, it can't flip over.

I use both outputs, the one on the side when the polybox is on the table next to the printer and the one on the top when the polybox is on the floor behind the printer.

[Cymon 5]

41 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 putting a second spool in it, it can't flip over.

Ah ok, so I'm not the only one. I also put a second spool in it to prevent flipping. I once tried what happens, when I put the second spool also on the PVA axles with one side, but it made it worse. Can't imagine having three spools in there to use all three outputs because of that, though.
I haven't tried using the top holes yet, because of missing furniture in our newly founded Maker Space here in the company. But my guess would be the flipping ends when using the top holes. Does that also not work for you?

[Smithy 1,144]

To be honest, I don't know anymore, I haven't used the upper holes for a long time. But it could be, I only noticed that since I used the side holes.

 

On the other hand the feeder is so strong that it transports the filament even when the spool has fallen over. Has already happened to me.

[Cymon 5]

15 hours ago, Smithy said:

On the other hand the feeder is so strong that it transports the filament even when the spool has fallen over. Has already happened to me.

Yes, that is true. Never had a print fail when printing overnight and the spool flipped. 

 

I will try the top holes when we got all the furniture and post an update here.

Edited September 11, 2019 by Cymon

[Sam_I_Am 1]

Currently using an S5 with a Polybox, not had any issues with spools coming off the rollers.

 

If you want to use the NFC function then remove the NFC circle from the spool and hang it on the back of the printer.