Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted · PVA Filament breaking and jamming the system

I have the newest model of an Ultimaker S5 ProBundle with the firmware updated to the most recent version. My PVA is 2/3 empty and is now breaking in the material station while feeding a print. It has been stored in the material station for about 2 months. This has happened before when the roll is almost empty so I just toss out the last few feet. This time, there is a lot of filament still on the roll and I do not want to waste it. Has the filament gotten wet even though it has been in the material station this entire time? 

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · PVA Filament breaking and jamming the system

    Almost certainly, yes.  But don't throw it away.  Remove the spool from the MS and loosen it or even unwind it all.  Put the filament on the S5 print bed (or the entire spool as is).  Put a towel (or open bottom box or some kind of insulation on top so you get 60C at the top of the spool as well) on top.  Maybe a few towels.  Or sheets.  Or some kind of insulation.

     

    Set the bed temp on the S5 to 60C and leave for many hours.  If you completely unwound the filament, then just a few hours - 1 to 4 hours should be enough to dry it.  If it's tightly spooled then you may need 24-48 hours.

     

    Or if you just have a particular print coming up: in cura, look below the slice button where it shows meters of PVA needed.  Unspool that amount (but don't cut it). Sit the spool on top of the unspooled filament.  And just 1 to 4 hours is plenty to dry it out.

     

    I don't have a MS but I put about 1 cup (250ml) of recharged desiccant in the same sealed bag as my filament and I can only get the humidity down to 30%.  That's a LOT of desiccant! That's not enough to dry the filament.  You want it much dryer.  For maintaining PVA filament, 30% is helpful so the pva (or nylon filament) absorbs moisture slower but definitely not good enough for drying and at least for me, not even good enough to maintain it being dry.  Maybe I'm not recharging my desiccant enough (it changes back to the original color but maybe I need to do more drying, not sure).

     

     

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Create an account or sign in to comment

    You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create an account

    Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

    Register a new account

    Sign in

    Already have an account? Sign in here.

    Sign In Now
    • Our picks

      • Help Us Improve Cura – Join the Ultimaker Research Program
        🚀 Help Shape the Future of Cura and Digital Factory – Join Our Power User Research Program!
        We’re looking for active users of Cura and Digital Factory — across professional and educational use cases — to help us improve the next generation of our tools.
        Our Power User Research Program kicks off with a quick 15-minute interview to learn about your setup and workflows. If selected, you’ll be invited into a small group of users who get early access to features and help us shape the future of 3D printing software.

        🧪 What to Expect:
        A short 15-minute kickoff interview to help us get to know you If selected, bi-monthly research sessions (15–30 minutes) where we’ll test features, review workflows, or gather feedback Occasional invites to try out early prototypes or vote on upcoming improvements
        🎁 What You’ll Get:
         
        Selected participants receive a free 1-year Studio or Classroom license Early access to new features and tools A direct voice in what we build next
        👉 Interested? Please fill out this quick form
        Your feedback helps us make Cura Cloud more powerful, more intuitive, and more aligned with how you actually print and manage your workflow.
        Thanks for being part of the community,

        — The Ultimaker Software Team
        • 0 replies
      • Cura 5.10 stable released!
        The full stable release of Cura 5.10 has arrived, and it brings support for the new Ultimaker S8, as well as new materials and profiles for previously supported UltiMaker printers. Additionally, you can now control your models in Cura using a 3D SpaceMouse and more!
          • Like
        • 18 replies
    ×
    ×
    • Create New...