I began utilizing 3D printers about three years in the past, and what I realized first is that dry filament is crucial to acquiring high quality prints. As its title suggests, the Sunlu FilaDryer S4 permits simultaneous dehydration of 4 spools, making it distinctive in its market section.
I simply counted and located greater than ten opened filament spools at residence. Even when saved of their authentic packaging, they have an inclination to soak up moisture and require drying earlier than use. Relying on the fabric, moisture can penetrate solely superficially or deeper into your filament. Additionally, some versatile supplies like PVA are extremely hygroscopic and have a tendency to soak up way more moisture from the ambiance than different forms of filaments.
Utilizing “moist” supplies can result in numerous high quality errors and even print failures. Among the commonest signs of moist filament are:
Extreme brittleness of the filament
Effervescent and popping because it exits the new nozzle
Extrusion jams and different points
Poor mattress adhesion
Stringing (“bushy prints”)
Tiny blobs in print layers
Brittle, mushy, and fragile outcomes
Sunlu S4: Take away moisture from 4 filaments at a time!
Disclosure: I acquired this multi-filament dryer as a part of a product evaluate collaboration with SUNLU. Product specs and high quality could range based on the producer’s reliability, so I can’t assure that you’ll get merchandise that carry out the identical as proven in my article.
Along with numerous printing supplies (filaments and resins), SUNLU provides a variety of 3D printing equipment (mates, as they name them), together with filament dryers, vacuum luggage, and enclosures. The S4 is the corporate’s third filament dryer. Right here on FirstQuadcopter, now we have reviewed the FilaDryer S2, a strong and well-designed moisture remover unit.
The FilaDryer S4 comes well-packed with thick protecting foam. The field consists of the next equipment:
2 Teflon tubes (100cm)
4 Teflon tubes (8cm)
8 rubber plugs for unused filament-out holes
8 steel clasps to carry output tubes in place
Person handbook
With the S4 dryer, SUNLU additionally despatched me 4 spools of their new filaments: two high-speed PLAs, a Silk-PLA, and a PETG. These supplies will likely be reviewed in a future article.
At a look
The FilaDryer S4 has a cuboid kind issue and measures 450x210x211 mm. The clear, smoky grey acrylic entrance panel permits choosing contained in the drying chamber. On the edges of the show, a skinny inexperienced LED strip animates whereas the dryer is turned on. On the backside, two stainless-steel bars function legs. The general look of the unit could be very elegant. In case you have been born within the 60s, you’ll in all probability discover a resemblance between the S4 FilaDryer and a magnetophone (tape music recorder).
On the high, two hinged covers (see picture above) enable entry to load the filament spools two by two. Every compartment has 4 bars put in on tiny bearings to run easily. Within the middle of the 2 drying zones, there’s a small compartment for moisture absorber silica pouches. Contained in the unit, three followers (solely two seen) flow into sizzling air for uniform dehydration.
The Sunlu FilaDryer S4 adopts a 330W PTC heater, permitting ultra-fast warming time. From 25°C to 70°C, it takes solely 50 minutes. Constructed-in moisture sensor screens inside humidity and adjusts operations accordingly.
Within the inventory configuration, you’ll be able to load as much as 4 filament roles. By including an additional container on high of the unit (DIY venture out there right here), it is possible for you to to load large 3KG spools and even dry a pair of sneakers 🙂
The unit has eight filament outputs, 4 on the highest and 4 on the edges, permitting you to feed your 3D machines in lots of configurations (positions). The included rubber plugs can be utilized to cowl the unused holes, stopping moisture from coming into the unit.
SUNLU S4 filament dryer: Controls and consumer interface
The unit has just one button, the ability swap. The S4 is operated by way of the touch-screen LCD, with 4 digital buttons on the backside of the show. The FilaDryer 4 has six pre-configured filament profiles with set values, however customers can modify them based on their preferences. The out there settings are:
Goal temperature
Temperature models (°C or °F)
Program time
Drying mode (Timer – MO1 or Humidity management – MO2)
LED mild bar mode
The desk under exhibits the beneficial temperature settings based on the filament kind.
Materials
PLA/PLA+
Wooden
PETG
ABS
HIPS
PVA
ASA
TPU
PA/PC
Temp
45-50°C
50-55°C
60-70°C
Time
3-6 hours
Setting the suitable filament profile is essential as a result of you’ll be able to harm temperature-sensitive supplies, resembling PCL filaments with shallow melting factors (60-80°C). Whereas testing the FilaDryer S4, I didn’t discover that I loaded a PCL spool, and after 20 minutes of drying, the filament began to drip like an ice cream.
With a countdown timer operate, you’ll be able to set it to function in fixed warmth mode for as much as 24 hours. The warmth routinely turns off as soon as the timer runs out.
Throughout operation, precise (PV) and set (SV) temperatures are displayed on the left, and relative humidity (RH%) on the appropriate.
Pricing and availability
The S4 Filadryer was initially revealed on Kickstarter, a crowdfunding platform. The venture attracted 5,956 pledged backers and raised $620,000. A couple of months later, the venture matured, and the completed product could possibly be ordered instantly from the producer’s web site for $159.99. Ordering now, you’ll obtain one spool of white PLA filament at no cost.
Sunlu FilaDryer S4: Technical parameters
Filament capability
As much as 4 1kg spools (1.75, 2.85 and three.0 mm)
Max heating temperature
70°C
Rated energy
320W
Supported filaments
PLA, ABS, PETG, TPU, PA, PC
Heating parts
PTC with three followers
Heating time (25–50 °C)
30 min
Heating time (25–70 °C)
50 min
Show
5cm touchscreen LCD
Filament outputs
Eight (4xtop and 4xside)
Dimensions
458x218x312mm
Weight
5.5kg
For whom is that this filament dryer appropriate, and for whom not?
In case you personal multi-filament 3D machines such because the Bambu Lab X1, Elegoo OrangeStorm Giga, and Prusa i3 or use a number of 3D printers concurrently, the FilaDryer 4 is a superb various in comparison with 4 particular person drying models because it saves area and permits centralized management. Being comparatively hermetic, the S4 can be appropriate for storing unwrapped filaments till the subsequent use.
Alternatively, for those who print solely often utilizing a single spool till you utilize all of it, the value and energy utilization of the FilaDryer 4 will not be justified.
Not all filament sorts require the identical drying program (time and temperature), so you’ll be able to’t combine them, or you could harm a number of the filament, as I additionally skilled in my checks.
S4 Filadryer: Key options
[Large dying chamber] The FilaDryer S4 has an inside measurement of 450 x 210 x 211 mm and provides area for 4 x 1 kg filament spools (with a max. spool dimension of 75 x 206 mm).
[Intelligent PTC heating element] A 330-watt PTC heating component reaches a temperature of fifty °C in half an hour. The utmost heating temperature is 70 °C.
[Triple security protection] An built-in triple security safety helps monitor the temperature in actual time and warns of any anomalies:
At irregular temperatures, the PTC component stops heating
A two-stage security swap for temperature management interrupts the circuit when the temperature reaches too excessive a price.
Software program safety warns of different irregular occurrences.
[Dynamic temperature compensation] The FilaDryer S4 has an built-in triple fan system (two circulation followers + one heating fan) that ensures the warmth contained in the dryer is dynamically adjusted or balanced to a tolerance of ±3 ℃ to dry the filaments evenly.
[Automatic humidity control] To raised meet the necessities of various kinds of supplies, the humidity within the dryer might be adjusted as wanted:
When the humidity reaches the preset worth (30%-50%), the field routinely begins drying,
If the humidity drops to 25%, drying stops
[Wide compatibility] The FilaDryer S4 is appropriate with most 3D printers and helps the simultaneous use of 4 units.