Filament dispenser/storage chamber completed... mostly

[aviphysics 9]

Made a nifty chamber for my filament that can dispense it and keep it relatively dry.

It isn't quite perfect yet. I need to find a good material to improve the seal around the door. Right now I have just run a piece of tape around the door. I initially tried weather stripping, but didn't get any better results than using nothing. I also need to find a better latch.

Step 2 is to make something to go around the filament feeder, thus providing total containment until it gets to the hot end.

 

[gr5 2,178]

That would be good for nylon! Nylon seems to absorb water very quickly and it doesn't print quite as well when it does. I can hear the water sizzling as I print nylon.

 

[jhertzberg 19]

Jeremie did a nice writeup on his lessons learned in printing nylon: http://www.tridimake.com/2014/01/how-to-3d-print-nylon-and-trimmer-line.html

The takeaway seemed to be to dry it out, but not too much, or you will have delamination issues.

 

[jonnybischof 60]

Maybe you can get a tight seal if you use magnets instead of hinges. Not a door, but a panel that you can remove by pulling it off. Then make a rubber ring all around the edges of the panel (maybe print with flex PLA?).

I'm going to try something like that with my Black Edition frame.

/edit:

By the way: Wood isn't exactly watertight. Humidity could be able to pass through it. I'm not an expert on that, though...

/edit2:

You could solve that problem easily by painting the wood...

 

[aviphysics 9]

The inside of the box is heavily lacquered to prevent moisture seeping in from the wood.

Making a seal with flex pla is an interesting idea, though I wonder if the flex pla would make a good moisture barrier and how it would stand up to low humidity levels.

I thing hinges and latches is the way to go. With magnets, the force holding the door on would be maybe 10-20 lb, but with the right latches it could be a hundred or more.

 

[jonnybischof 60]

...

I thing hinges and latches is the way to go. With magnets, the force holding the door on would be maybe 10-20 lb, but with the right latches it could be a hundred or more.

 

True, true...

The best thing to do would probably be to make it like the door of a washing machine. With flex PLA, you could easily print a large, custom fit, seal. But I don't know how it will fare against low humidity. Maybe put oil on the seal?

 

[aviphysics 9]

It occurs to me that the door really doesn't need to be opened and closed that often. Something with screws and wingnuts might be a great way to secure the door.