Filament Getting Brittle

3dprintgarage · 2017-12-26T14:24:59.000Z

On my Anet A8 3D printer, every few prints, the filament snaps off, and I have to reload the filament. Do you have any solutions?

MaddieG · 2017-12-27T01:31:35.000Z

Hi there,

This can happen with old filament, or filament that has been exposed to too much moisture. If you can, I would recommend drying it out (in a food dehydrator or similar) to see if that helps.

Best,

Maddie - 3D Hubs

3dprintgarage · 2017-12-27T14:03:55.000Z

Is there any other way to dry out the filament, or is that the only option?

Brandonl · 2017-12-28T04:19:58.000Z

To try drying it, go get some silica gel or crystal cat litter (which is just cheaper silica crystals) and put them in a box in the sun or heat it slightly. Don’t let it get any hotter than 50 degrees celsius or you might start to ruin the filament. This should dry your filament out. This probably won’t fix the brittleness as the damage is probably already done. New filament is the best answer.

jfield · 2017-12-28T15:44:27.000Z

If your oven will go down to about 175F you can put it in there for 4 or 5 hours, assuming the filament is PLA or PETG. You can do it with ABS, but it might smell .