Update 04/03/2024 - License changed from “Standard Digital File License” to “CC-BY-NC-SA”. Multi-body STP file uploaded.
Oh yeah, I over-engineered the hell out of this one! I went through more than 12 iterations and I think this is going to be my final version. The main challenge was designing outer walls that print without a million retractions so I didn’t want to just put regular holes and slots around the perimeter. These cheese grater looking holes are opened up both towards the inside and outside in alternating patterns creating quite large vent areas. Each section has a single line of extrusion per layer so it prints fast and isn’t too torturous for all 4 motors.
I printed mine in clear polycarbonate and it was super easy because there aren’t any long straight walls that cause warping. ASA would also be a good choice but I chose polycarbonate so I can see the colour of the indicating desiccant without opening the canister.
Design Objectives:
Large vented surface area, even when installed into a spool, for quick drying of enclosed airspaces
Multiple cross-flow air paths for quick drying of desiccant without removal of the desiccant beads from the container
Design primarily for the Bambu reusable spools and sits flush with the sides of the spools. (However, as different manufacturers are converging on a more "standard" spool size thanks to the AMS, these should fit some other spool brands)
Work as a Bambu reusable spool's "spool shim" to prevent the spool pieces separating
Fast print, minimise filament retractions when printing vents on vertical walls
Strong and sturdy to last a long time - no vase mode
Desiccant cannot fall out when moving the holder between spools
Print material:
OK to use PLA if you don't plan on drying the desiccant inside the canisters
PETG recommended as a minimum if you want to dry the desiccant gently without removing them from the canisters
ASA/ABS/PC recommended
Print settings:
For Bambu users: print from the app.
Feel free to add print profiles here if you changed something and think it may be useful to others.
For those who are getting the STLs and slicing it yourself:
Import the “cap” and “cap mesh" together and put them in an assembly to keep them aligned
Likewise, import the “body" and “body mesh" together and put them in an assembly to keep them aligned
The mesh parts should have no walls, no top, no bottom and 50-60% triangular infill (or as you see fit)
Use 3 walls for all parts, 3 layers for the bottom, 4 layers for the top
Layer height as you see fit (I use 0.20m)
Even if you have a fast printer, slow down the outer wall speed for part durability and consistency in gloss level (I use 50mm/s)
ARACHNE WALL GENERATOR MUST BE ON!
The preview should look something like below:
Spool Compatibility
These work well with Bambu spools and eSun cardboard spools.
For eSun plastic spools, you will need to turn the retainer around for a tighter fit (these spools are getting phased out anyways).
Please check out the comments and makes as they come through - on this page and on Printables - as users post these with their spools - I've seen one already fitted on a Polymaker cardboard spool.
Sorry these are not compatible with Prusament spools but this one works with them.
Fitment
Overall, it's important to have your pressure advance (k value) tuned so that the seams don't bulge out and make it harder to thread parts together.
The cap is designed to fit very tightly. If you print from PLA, you might find that it threads in really easy but if you print from PETG (which has higher friction and generally doesn't print as cleanly), it is a bit hard on your fingernails to thread in. This is to ensure the cap doesn't come off and spill all the beans during use. I have included a cap installer/remover to make it a bit easier on your fingers.
Unfortunately, even with all the settings and printer dialed in properly, variations in filament batch may create fitment issues. It's not necessarily your fault - don't be disheartened by seeing 99% of users say it's perfect but yours isn't! Measure your filament diameter. Sometimes it can be 1.72mm, sometimes 1.78mm - the latter will make the fit tighter. Either reprint just the cap in a different filament, a different section of the same roll, or scale it down slightly. (Another user has already created print profiles for easier fitting parts!)
The retainer has been designed with a larger clearance than the cap so it should thread in nicely. However, the thread pitch is quite fine because it's designed to fit tightly to the spool so it stays on in the AMS with the constant winding and unwinding. This can, with some spools, make it difficult to remove. User @urzhiataer has made a tool to help remove the retainer, check it out!
Retainer removing tool by @urzhiataer
That's all, enjoy!
Wait two more things: print this canister holder to dry 7 of them at once in your filament dryer:
Desiccant Dryer Ferris Wheel
And if you have lots of little fragments of desiccant because you microwaved them on high, perhaps try out this filter scoop:
First of all: Really cool and refined model! I would love to use these but need to print them in PETG so they can be used to dry the filament as well.
Unfortunately, whenever I print them there seem to be issues at the connections between the housing itself and the 3 meshes at the side.
In the Slicer everything is lokking good, but somehow the connections are extremely weak or don't even connect at all in some places.
Did anyone have the same experience? I have gotten my PETG profile tuned quite well and everything alse seems to print just fine.
yes I did have the same issue when I had the pressure advance (k-value/flow dynamics) set wrong so it would leave a little gap. could you check that this is tuned for you? I use 0.05 for esun PETG and 0.04 for Bambu PETG
Came over here from Printables as I'm having the same issue using PrusaSlicer on a MK4. I noticed the tool paths hop in the right corner of the meshes (like @mabbler 's pics. For kicks I installed BambuStudio and one of @KYZDesign 's .3mf's, changed to a mk3 setup, and the pathing is different. The paths circle within the pillar rather than the mesh (observed this in practice) rather than pulling away at the corners. The result is still thin, but it fully connects. I think a small overlap on the inside of the model, like a small fillet, actually might both make the mesh stronger and also promote a better tool path. I'm far from an expert however.
If I use the "PLA/PETG" profile it doesn't seem to slice properly with the mesh area not being connected, and the tiny pieces are floating in the air (see first pic). If I use the "Better thread fitting, ABS, 0.2mm layer, 3 walls, 10% infill" profile, it seems to slice fine with the mesh connected (second pic). The only setting I'm changing is the system preset of "X1 Carbon 0.4 nozzle".
Am I doing something wrong; is there a bug in BambuStudio? (New to 3D printing; pls be kind. Thx!)
hi, it’s because the PLA one is set to A1 mini and when you change printer, your wall generator goes from “Arachne” to “classic” - just change that setting back to “Arachne” and it should be ok
Hi, I printed several more of these and am waiting for some silica gel to fill them up. In the meantime I had a suggestion on an improvement for the caps. I added a small handle to the caps, which makes them easy to remove without a tool. It also looks like there will ne no interference with the AMS, as long as the caps are facing the same direction (or possibly even if they are not (that is not yet tested). The handles only stick out 4.8mm from the cap, which is just enough to make then grippable. I think this change would improve the design and remove the need for a tool. I will not post the model I used to test this idea though, since I feel it is a minor change that is up to the designer, if you choose to add it, and the license does not allow remixes anyway.
Hi there, thank you for the suggestion and write up.
I have made the cap not protruding so that when you either put filament in bags and stack them, or put multiple rolls in a container, the tubes take up as little space as possible. The idea is that you only need to close it once ever and that the silica gel is easy to refresh without taking the beads out. It does mean it can be a little difficult to remove but thought it was a good balance between security, form factor and user experience.
Thanks, that makes sense, I forgot that you have the model to refreshing the beads in the spool dehydrator. I store mine in bins and plan to refresh the gel differently, and I don't want to melt the containers so need to remove the beads. I also kept dropping the wrench lol, so I like having the handle which is harder for me to lose, being attached :D.
Sorry to keep bugging you about the cap, but after reading your reply and thinking about the design priorities, I had an idea, which I wanted to share. The model in the pics is a bit ugly since it's derived from the STL, but the print worked out fine at least, and seems to work too. I know this is probably getting tedious, so I won't post any more thoughts on the cap design after this, I promise :D
This is a fantastic spool desiccant holder, and I can't recommend this highly enough. Further to this, if you are looking for a spool centre for the current Sunlu range, which is coming on 72mm ø ID spools, you can increase the size of the model by 37%, then reduce the height (Z) to 66mm, and you will get a perfect fit. Picture 1: From left to right: Original size for reference, resized for Sunlu spool, funnel, and larger key. Picture 2: In spool. My concern with the size increase, would be that the walls would have unsupported sections over a third longer than the original design, but (at least in the ABS print I did here) I needn't have worried. Thank you KYZ Design, this is a beautifully engineered model.This is a fantastic spool desiccant holder, and I can't recommend this highly enough. Further to this, if you are looking for a spool centre for the current Sunlu range, which is coming on 72mm ø ID spools (UK delivery mid 2024), you can increase the size of the model by 37%, then reduce the height (Z) to 66mm, and you will get a perfect fit. Picture 1: From left to right: Original size for reference, resized for Sunlu spool, funnel, and larger key. Picture 2: In spool. My concern with the size increase, would be that the walls would have unsupported sections over a third longer than the original design, but (at least in the ABS print I did here) I needn't have worried. Thank you KYZ Design, this is a beautifully engineered model.
Thank you for your feedback! I want this comment to appear near the top for other Sunlu users and that happens if there are a lot of comments on it so I will put a comment here
yes just printed this for my spools it fits the cardboard Elegoo perfectly and the bambu perfectly, but my other in my top 3 brands was Sunlu....Thank you to both of you for figuring this out for all of us!!! much love... btw this only works on the Black Spools from Sunlu, the new Blue Reusable Spools are smaller, im testing at a 101.65% with a 62mm Z.
very good design, unfortunately it is very tight with the Rosa3D spool (refill) By putting the lid on first I manage to place the jar, but unscrewing it is almost impossible because of the friction, I had to quickly make a tool to unscrew it.
May i suggest to add a tool for unscreew (you have the right measure to do it)
I'm thoroughly impressed with the design and how well everything fits together! I printed this desiccant holder along with the Ferris wheel with X1C with Hatchbox PETG. Pop it in the Sunlu S2 filament dryer, set the temperature at 60C for 6hr, and Voilà! Thank you for putting a lot of thought and hours into this, and sharing it with us.
https://makerworld.com/en/models/73654#profileId-78102
Hi, the triangular mesh is achieved using infill - try re-downloading and be careful not to reset the print settings when changing the print profile. Read the "print settings" section.
Thanks for posting this, it works really well with my spools, and the cheese grater venting on the side is a great idea!
I would just second the earlier suggestion to make the cap easier to start onto the threads. I think that if the start of the thread were clipped back just a bit on the cap (so it is not as sharp of a thread start), I think it would thread on easier.
Yeah sometimes clipping just a bit from the start of a thread that tapers out can help get it started. Tapering it can also work to help start threads, like this (as an alternative). The pic shows a threaded cylinder and a block with a cone shaped pocket cut out of it. The block is used to subtract from the threaded cylinder to make a taper on the threads (top object is the after).
hi there, the cap is designed to fit very tightly so it’s unlikely that it will ever come loose. maybe I should include a print profile of the cap scaled down in x and y
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