Development of Filament Dryer for Drying Process of 3D Printing Filament in Open Storage Condition

PLA (Polylactic Acid) filament is one of the most popular 3D printing filaments, especially in industrial applications. This can happen because PLA is hygroscopic and easily reacts with water, breaking the chain and reducing its mechanical properties. To overcome these problems, this research aims to: (1) determine the effect of filament dryer modification on the drying process of 3D printing filament, and (2) determine the effect of accelerated drying to shorten the heating time on the mechanical properties of 3D printing filament. Thus, the drying process of materials is important. Therefore, the filament dryer was modified by adding control elements to improve the performance of the 3D printing filament drying process. The drying process reduces the water content trapped inside the 3D-printed filament. The strength of the filament left exposed for 5 weeks was restored through experimental testing by drying at different temperatures and durations. Mechanical properties increased by 1.10% with the combination of 45°C temperature and 6 hours duration, resulting in higher mechanical properties (yield strength) compared to the first time the filament was opened, which exhibited mechanical properties up to 81.4 MPa in the bending test and 41.8 MPa in the tensile test.