Exploring the Drywise In-Line Filament Dryer: A Hands-On Review, Part 3

Our review of the Drywise in-line filament dryer concludes with print results and final thoughts.

This is part three of a three-part series, please read parts one and two.

Drywise Print Results

Assessing the Drywise varies from evaluating a 3D printer. The aspect you’re looking into here is the contrast between printing using a dried filament and a “wet” filament.

However, how does one attain a “wet” filament? Normally, filaments are left around a workshop, where they gradually soak up moisture, occasionally even through supposedly hermetically sealed bags.

My methodology was considerably more forceful. I placed several test spools in a heated shower for an entire day. As visible above, these were exposed to severe humidity: the blurred image is due to the presence of actual condensation inside the shower. The condensation also fell on the filaments.

Thought3D advises that a soaking wet filament can’t be directly run through the Drywise. The idea of submerging a spool in water and inserting it into the Drywise crossed my mind until I read against such actions. Perhaps, I’ll consider it another time.

The natural PA12-GF yielded the best outcomes. The dry print sample appears on the left, while the wet print is on the right. The dry print was significantly clearer, likely due to the absence of trapped bubbles. The solidity of the print was notably improved.

The prints made from PA12-CF using the Drywise filament dryer can be seen. The dry print is featured on the left.

Here I gave PA12-CF a go, proving to be quite incredible once dry. The distinction might be harder to spot with the natural color, but the surface texture came out far more uniform and less shiny. Most probably, this can be attributed to the lack of bubbles.

In the name of fun, I experimented with both wet and dry PLA. Looking at the above, there’s practically no variance; this is because PLA doesn’t retain moisture as significantly as nylon does. However, that wasn’t the main aim of this experiment.

Rather, I was keen on exploring speed. Many of today’s desktop 3D printers are touted for their high speed, and it piqued my curiosity whether one such rapid printer would reel in the filament too hastily. Could it be that a high-speed filament wouldn’t stay long enough in the Drywise?

Evidently not. Here you can see a 14-minute #3DBenchy, with the 3D printer pulling about as fast as is reasonably possible with today’s desktop devices. While the print quality was still excellent, the Drywise didn’t complain at all about the fast pull.

One more thing: the cartridges absorb humidity, so eventually after a number of runs they will be at capacity. At first I thought I’d have to buy new cartridges, but Thought3D has set this up in a very convenient manner. It’s possible to simply empty the desiccant pellets onto a tray and bake them in the oven. This restores their dryness, and they can then be replaced in the cartridge for another set of print jobs.

In other words, there are no consumables here! There are two cartridges provided, so you never have to stop using the Drywise.

Drywise Final Thoughts

The Drywise is a highly interesting apparatus. It offers a unique approach to filament drying not seen in any other product on the market and enables printing with completely dried material within just one hour of start-up. This is significantly faster than the usual drying boxes that require multiple hours to complete their cycles. Drywise also allows for on-demand usage of filaments stored using the non-dry method.

In terms of operation, there may be room for certain improvements to render the Drywise smoother to run. However, once set up, it functions quite effectively. What it needs is an extension in the range of compatible materials or an option to program custom spool requirements.

With respect to its pricing, the Drywise calls for a detailed examination. It is valued at €1899 (US$2070), while the optional pre-heater comes at an additional €349 (US$380), totalling €2248 (US$2450). This is considerably overpriced in comparison to budget food-drier alternatives that one might contemplate.

Alternatively, allocating US$2450 could be a frugal alternative as compared to buying an enormous dry box to house all your spool inventory, a task that Drywise can seamlessly perform. With Drywise, your spools, regardless of their quantity, are effectively kept in a dry box and are readily available for usage whenever necessary.

In my opinion, the Drywise would be most beneficial for operations involving multiple 3D printers that are consistently in use and require a variety of spool and engineering materials. For users with an extensive setup involving many 3D printers, it might be cost-effective to opt for a large dry box solution rather than multiple Drywise units.

This blog post is the final installment of a three-part series. You can read the first and second parts here and here.

Source: Drywise

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