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Eureka Dry Tech ADL-3D77
Humidity Controlled Filament Storage Cabinet>

Print Test Part 1
PLA / PVA / TPU

3D printing is a new market that we have seen lots of demands for humidity controlled storage. Since 2017 we have offered the ADL-3D77 as a storage solution to meet this demand and next year we will be expanding product offerings for the 3D printing market with a few additional products. 

In 2020, we performed some in house testing to gather data on how our product will perform in terms of keep filaments dry for optimal printing. The main goal of our test is to determine whether storage in our humidity controlled dry cabinets will have any impact on print quality of various filament polymers. 

Please keep in mind, 3D printing isn't our niche market, so our experience with 3D printing is a novice at best. 

Hardware Utilized during this test:

This test was conducted on a Creality Ender 3 with generic brand filament materials : ABS / PLA / PVA / PETG / Nylon / TPU

The intent of this test is to see:

  1. Whether storing filament in a 10% RH or less environment was beneficial to print quality?
  2. Whether exposure to 55% RH ambient environment affects the filaments print quality?
  3. Whether print quality can be restored by storing in Eureka Dry Tech's 3D Printing Filament Dry Cabinet?

Each test consists of 3 parts.

  1. 50mm extrusion feed thru hot end.
    This is to observe whether any irregularity ( popping or sizzling) is observed when filament is passed thru the heated nozzle.
  2. Filament flex test
    This is to observe whether there are any stiffness or brittleness difference between dry and wet filament.
  3. 3DBenchy Model Print test.
    This is to observe whether print quality is affected between storage in humidity controlled environment versus storage in a uncontrolled ambient room condition. The same machine, same sliced file was used during each print.

Eureka Dry Tech Creality Ender 3 3D printer

Eureka Dry Tech Treemaker 3D printer

Initially, we planned on using 2 printers to print 3 types of materials on each printer during each work day. However, one of the printers (Tree Maker on the left) sat for quite some time and had substantial problems that we were constantly chasing and unable to resolve. So the test was split into 2 separate runs of 3 material groups, PLA / PVA / TPU during the first run and Nylon / ABS / PETG during the second run. All prints were conducted on the Ender 3.

We began the test by calibrating the filament for our printer with the least of amount of defects as possible (i.e. stringing, over/under extrusion etc.).

Once the calibration is completed we will perform the following tests.

  1. Prior to each print we will perform a flex test by folding the filament to see if the stiffness has changed.
  2. An extrusion test to see if any moisture is observed such as popping/hissing/bubbling by extruding 50mm of material thru the hotend at calibrated printed temperature.
  3. Print the 3DBenchy model. We will establish a "dry filament" base line print. Then begin exposing the filament to the humidity in the room without any humidity controlled storage. Then when the filament is completely soaked we will place the filament back in the ADL-3D77 to see whether print quality can be restored.
PLA - 3D Benchy Print Test Results

Open package and calibration of the PLA filament began on 7/7/2020. Following the opening of this package we began calibration of the filament to our Creality Ender 3 printer for the best and consistent print quality.

PLA 3D Benchy Print Test

PLA Calibration Week 1 07/06/20-07/10/20

This week begin with some much needed tuning as the filament being utilized had different properties from what we've been printing with.

Particularly the temperature and retraction settings for PLA were completely different from previous PLA material used.

RH% / Temp in Cabinet

RH% / Temp Test Room

07/06/20

No print test performed on this date.

07/07/20

07/08/20

No print test performed on this date.

07/09/20

07/10/21

PLA Calibration Week 2 07/13/20-07/17/20

RH% / Temp in Cabinet

RH% / Temp Test Room

07/13/20

07/14/20

07/15/20

No print test performed on this date.

07/16/20

07/17/20

PLA Print Test Week 1 07/20/20-07/24/20

RH% / Temp in Cabinet

RH% / Temp Test Room

07/20/20

No print test performed on this date.

07/21/20

07/22/20

No print test performed on this date.

07/23/20

07/24/20

PLA Print Test Week 2 07/27/20-07/31/20

RH% / Temp in Cabinet

RH% / Temp Test Room

07/27/20

07/28/20

07/29/20

No print test performed on this date.

07/30/20

07/31/20

PLA Print Test Week 3 08/03/20-08/07/20

RH% / Temp in Cabinet

RH% / Temp Test Room

08/03/20

08/04/20

08/05/20

08/06/20

08/07/20

No print test performed on this date.

PLA Print Test Week 4 08/10/20-08/14/20

RH% / Temp in Cabinet

RH% / Temp Test Room

08/10/20

No print test performed on this date.

08/11/20

No print test performed on this date.

08/12/20

08/13/20

08/14/20

PLA Print Test Week 5 08/17/20-08/21/20

RH% / Temp in Cabinet

RH% / Temp Test Room

08/17/20

08/18/20

08/19/20

08/20/20

08/21/20

PLA Print Test Week 6 08/24/20-08/28/20

RH% / Temp in Cabinet

RH% / Temp Test Room

08/24/20

08/25/20

08/26/20

No print test performed on this date.

08/27/20

08/28/20

PLA Print Test Week 7 08/31/20-09/04/20

RH% / Temp in Cabinet

RH% / Temp Test Room

08/31/20

09/01/20

09/02/20

No print test performed on this date.

09/03/20

No print test performed on this date.

09/04/20

PVA - 3D Benchy Print Test Results

PVA Open package and Flex Test 07-08-20

PVA Open package 07-08-20

PVA 3D Benchy Print Test

PVA Calibration Week 1 07/06/20-07/10/20

Conditions inside the cabinet

Conditions of the test room

07/06/20

No print test performed on this date.

07/07/20

No print test performed on this date.

07/08/20

07/09/20

07/10/20

PVA Calibration Week 2 07/13/20-07/17/20

Conditions inside the cabinet

Conditions of the test room

07/13/20

07/14/20

No print test performed on this date.

07/15/20

07/16/20

07/17/20

PVA Print Test Week 1 07/20/20-07/24/20

Conditions inside the cabinet

Conditions of the test room

07/20/20

No print test performed on this date.

07/21/20

No print test performed on this date.

07/22/20

07/23/20

07/24/20

PVA Print Test Week 2 07/27/20-07/31/20

Conditions inside the cabinet

Conditions of the test room

07/27/20

07/28/20

07/29/20

07/30/20

07/31/20

No print test performed on this date.

PVA Print Test Week 3 08/03/20-08/07/20

Conditions inside the cabinet

Conditions of the test room

08/03/20

08/04/20

No print test performed on this date.

08/05/20

08/06/20

08/07/20

No print test performed on this date.

PVA Print Test Week 4 08/10/20-08/14/20

Conditions inside the cabinet

Conditions of the test room

08/10/20

No print test performed on this date.

08/11/20

No print test performed on this date.

08/12/20

08/13/20

08/14/20

PVA Print Test Week 5 08/17/20-08/21/20

Conditions inside the cabinet

Conditions of the test room

08/17/20

08/18/20

08/19/20

08/20/20

08/21/20

PVA Print Test Week 6 08/24/20-08/28/20

Conditions inside the cabinet

Conditions of the test room

08/24/20

08/25/20

08/26/20

08/27/20

08/28/20

PVA Print Test Week 7 08/31/20-09/04/20

Conditions inside the cabinet

Conditions of the test room

08/31/20

09/01/20

09/02/20

No print test performed on this date.

09/03/20

No print test performed on this date.

09/04/20

TPU - 3D Benchy Print Test Results

TPU Open Package and Extrusion Test 07-08-20

TPU Open Package 07-08-20

TPU 3D Benchy Print Test

TPU Calibration Week 1 07/06/20-07/10/20

Conditions inside the cabinet

Conditions of the test room

07/06/20

No print test performed on this date.

07/07/20

No print test performed on this date.

07/08/20

07/09/20

07/10/21

TPU Calibration Week 2 07/13/20-07/17/20

Conditions inside the cabinet

Conditions of the test room

07/13/20

07/14/20

No print test performed on this date.

07/15/20

07/16/20

07/17/20

phone="12" tablet="12" desktop="12" wide="12" different_values="0"

TPU Print Test Week 1 07/20/20-07/24/20

Conditions inside the cabinet

Conditions of the test room

07/20/20

No print test performed on this date.

07/21/20

No print test performed on this date.

07/22/20

07/23/20

07/24/20

No print test performed on this date.

TPU Print Test Week 2 07/27/20-07/31/20

Conditions inside the cabinet

Conditions of the test room

07/27/20

07/28/20

07/29/20

07/30/20

No print test performed on this date.

07/31/20

TPU Print Test Week 3 08/03/20-08/07/20

Conditions inside the cabinet

Conditions of the test room

08/03/20

08/04/20

No print test performed on this date.

08/05/20

No print test performed on this date.

08/06/20

08/07/20

Print test was performed on this date but model was not kept due to failed prints.

TPU Print Test Week 4 08/10/20-08/14/20

Conditions inside the cabinet

Conditions of the test room

08/10/20

08/11/20

No print test performed on this date.

08/12/20

08/13/20

08/14/20

TPU Print Test Week 5 08/17/20-08/21/20

Conditions inside the cabinet

Conditions of the test room

08/17/20

08/18/20

08/19/20

08/20/20

No print test performed on this date.

08/21/20

TPU Print Test Week 6 08/24/20-08/28/20

Conditions inside the cabinet

Conditions of the test room

08/24/20

08/25/20

08/26/20

08/27/20

08/28/20

TPU Print Test Week 7 08/31/20-09/04/20

Conditions inside the cabinet

Conditions of the test room

08/31/20

No print test performed on this date.

09/01/20

09/02/20

09/03/20

No print test performed on this date.

09/04/20

No print test performed on this date.