How to Dry Your 3D Printing Filament and Avoid Moisture Build-Up

Thanks to its diverse benefits, 3D printing offers many opportunities for companies to break with their usual production routines and make them more efficient. But the technology does not come without its share of challenges. Many attempts fail due to printing errors like warping or ghosting. These phenomena affect the 3D printed part quality and sometimes even its properties. One common issue? 3D printing filament not being dry.

During storage, filament may absorb moisture from the atmosphere in a very short time. If moisture remains in the material, it will cause problems. This occurs in particular with PA, TPU, PVA, PMMU or BVOH filaments, but also with PLA, PETG, nylon or ABS. Here, we will explain how to detect moisture and dry your filament to avoid these printing errors.

Moisture trapped in the filament (image credits: BCN3D)

Why Is It Necessary to Dry Filament?

In most cases, you can detect moisture in 3D printing filament by certain characteristics. The most obvious is the formation of water beads on the surface of your filament. But most of the time, it looks and feels just like an intact filament, and moisture can only be detected during the printing process. This can lead to under-extrusion, surface defects, filament breakage, extruder clogging, poor adhesion between layers, and, overall, brittle and fragile objects.