2023-10-30 • Ryan

Dual Filament Dry Box

Introduction

Ever scoured printables looking for a filament dry box solution that won't make your wallet weep? Many designs while absolutely awesome tend to require containers that aren't available in Australia or cost a lot to buy. So I scoured my local shopping centre, toting an empty spool and a stubborn commitment to keeping costs low. Then, jackpot! the K-Mart 9L Dry-Food Container at just $6. It's the perfect size to fit 2 1KG spools and have some room spare for desiccant and some fun extras.

Many filament boxes use a rod fed through the inner diameter of the spool for feeding, while I understand the attraction (that's why spools are designed that way). I can't stand it, when replacing spools or moving them around it's an extra step that adds frustration. It's an opinion Adam Savage holds for his wire or tape storage that having it roll on something lets you dispense what you need, but keeps it much more mobile to move it about. The design uses standard 608 bearings which can be obtained from a variety of places and standard PC4-M10 PTFE couplings that one probably has lying about as spares from their printer.

The desiccant box is designed to be printed in PETG such that when filled with silica gel desiccant one can place the entire container in the microwave or oven at a low heat to dry the silica without the tub deforming from the heat. The whole tub can be slid onto the mounting rail for easy removal for this purpose and to allow access to add or remove spools.

For monitoring humidity, with the ample space in the container, I allowed room for a round hygrometer that is quite popular on this site and can be found on amazon for a reasonable price. I also designed a small nifty filament ID card with some basic print tests built in, such as: translucency, bridge tests and line width tests. Designed to use Avery L7144 sticker labels with an attached template to design your own. A holder is included that allows you to keep track of the filaments in the container at a glance.

Images