Material Drying Resources

Freedom and Flexibility

Today’s industrial 3D printer operators demand the freedom and flexibility to operate their additive manufacturing equipment the same way they operate their injection molding and CNC machining equipment. With that freedom however come the challenges of proper material handling that is paramount for consistent results from printed parts.

 

Here you will find best practices for material handling and recommendations on the proper equipment to implement a material handling workflow at your facility so you can create the optimum environment to keep your 3D printing materials dry, extend their shelf life, and yield more consistent prints with better part quality.

Equipment & Filament

Essentium DryBox Image

Equipment

The Essentium DryBox is a humidity-controlled cabinet designed to store and protect 3D printing filaments in a humidity-controlled environment.

Essentium Filament PEKK

Filament

We recommend drying all of our materials to specification prior to printing.

Resources & Information

Drying Times

MaterialsDrying temp*Drying time**Max moisture content
PLA65-90°C4-12 hrs250 ppm
ABS80-90°C2-4 hrs200 ppm
PCTG65-70°C4-8 hrs600 ppm
TPU A80-90°C2-3 hrs200 ppm
TPU D90-120°C2-3 hrs200 ppm
HTN110-110°C6-8 hrs400 ppm
PA 1280°C4-8 hrs1000 ppm
PACF100-120°C4-8 hrs500 ppm
PC120°C3-5 hrs200 ppm
Essentium 9085110-120°C4-6 hrs200 ppm
PEEK120°C3-6 hrs200 ppm
PEKK120°C3-8 hrs200 ppm
PPS120°C2-4 hrs100 ppm
PESU120°C3-4 hrs200 ppm
PETCF90°C6-8 hrsNA
PPCF70°C2-4 hrs200 ppm

*Temperature for a desiccated hot air dryer with <-40°C dew point air

**The times indicated in this table are approximations based on typical industry workflows for these materials. Spools that have picked up very little moisture can be dried on the shorter end of the time ranges indicated, whereas higher levels of moisture exposure will require longer times and higher temperatures for effective drying. Very hygroscopic resins including polyamides, polysulfones, TPU, PEI, and PVA may require even longer drying times if they are allowed to absorb moisture up to their equilibrium moisture content; we strongly recommend that these resins be kept dry and not allowed to absorb large amounts of moisture.

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