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Hi all.
Very new to 3D printing even though I have had my Ender 3 for a year now, haven't done a lot of prints. I am using PLA and have had this filament roll for about almost as long as I've owned my printer. I understand that filament can absorb moisture from the air.
Would this explain the strange behavior from my hot end or do I have some other problem(s) present?
Cheers
Popping sounds definitely mean you have moisture in your filament. Sometimes it can get so bad, you'll see water vapor coming from the nozzle! Even a new-in-box spool of filament can require drying. There are many photos on the 'net of before and after drying of filament with substantial improvement to the model being printed.
oh awesome, thank you so much. I'll look into that :)
I've discovered in my reading that a sealed bag of filament can require drying to provide acceptable prints. If I have advance notice on a print, I'll put a new spool in the dehydrator for an overnight stint. After the print is done, it goes into an Eibos vacuum bag with a canister of desiccant before it goes on the rack for storage. Sometimes the bag leaks a bit and the desiccant comes out used up, but it still provides protection. Florida here too but the A/C keeps the house about fifty percent humidity, the desiccant does the rest.
Is this really a big problem with moisture and printiong with PLA? I don't have a dryer and have been printing with PLA for at least 6 years and have never seen any moisture, steaming or heard any popping noises on my Prusa Printers? I have gone through half a dozen rolls of PLA through my new Prusa Mini and it always prints fine? I live in New Jersey so it is not like I am in the middle of a desert? Just curious if many are having problems?
You'll see two lines of discussion. One suggests that PLA is not subject to moisture problems, while another line will dispute that. I've not seen water vapor from the nozzle, using PLA, but have run into it with nylon left to the elements. With respect to printing, there are more than a few before and after images of people who have printed a model, string-city before drying and looking good after drying. These are anecdotes, of course, and not a particularly stringent test.
Florida has plenty of humidity and I attempt to dry my filament if I have advance notice for a print, but I've had good luck in both circumstances and bad luck in both as well.