As the choice of materials becomes ever more exotic for the 3D printing industry, so does the way we store and print our materials. The biggest problem faced by materials is the moisture content that’s absorbed into the filament from the surrounding environment. In humid habitats, hygroscopic materials such as PVA can spoil in a matter of hours, the PolyBox™ shields the filament from the humid air, creating a dry environment to store your materials.
Moisture content in filaments can cause a multitude of problems from inconsistent extrusion to poor surface quality and ultimately delivering a printed part with weak mechanical properties due to poor layer adhesion. In environments with >20% humidity, water molecules are quickly absorbed into the filament forming polar bonds with the polymer chain. When the filament passes through the hot end the moisture rapidly expands, boiling and rupturing the filament. This causes bubbles in between layers, inconsistent extrusion due to material expansion and poor surface quality due to the fluctuating flow rate. Materials such as PVA, Nylon and PolySmooth™ are particularly susceptible to moisture absorption, however ABS, Polycarbonate and PLA are also hygroscopic.
The PolyBox™ is a dry storage box that allows you to print and store your filaments in their optimum environment ensuring the best printing quality from the beginning of the spool to the end. The PolyBox™ comes with 150cm of filament guide tube, to ensure the filament is protected from the spool to the hot end. There are six filament exit holes located on a reversible case so no matter if your printer feeds from the front, back or side, there is an orientation that will suit your set up.
The PolyBox™ regulates humidity with large desiccant bags located in the base of the unit. This cheap, simple solution provides a dry environment to store and print filaments and the desiccants can be dried and reused once they have reached their maximum water absorption. Four bearing clad steel rods allow two spools to spin independently for dual extrusion or the PolyBox™ can store one 3kg spool for long prints or industrial use. The humidity inside the box can be monitored by a high precision thermo-hygrometer located on the front of the unit.
The PolyBox™ is a simple solution to the growing problem of properly storing 3D printing filaments. With Polymaker Industrial offering 4 grades of Nylon and Polymaker launching their own Nylon next year, the need to properly store your filaments is more prominent now than ever. As innovative materials unlock new doors in the 3D printing industry, why should we be held back by moisture absorption?
PolyBox™ is available to purchase from the 25th of September worldwide, MSRP $69.99, €69.99
