Filament Feeding Dry Box Port

Filament Feeding Dry Box Port

Description

This allows you keep your filament dry while its being used by keeping it in an airtight dry-box and feeding it directly to your printer via a guide tube.

Note:  From my own experience and testing you may find that 4mm OD fittings and tube are better for short distances. longer lengths coupled with internal friction inside the tube create significant drag on the filament and your extruder may skip.

Requirements:

• Push in Connector
  • 1x QS-1/8-4 Festo Push-in Male Connector, or
  • 1x QS-1/8-8 Festo Push-in Male Connector
• Tubing
  • 4mm OD polythene tubing (or equivalent). (Long enough to reach between your printer and your filament dry box.) (short runs only)
  • 8mm OD polythene tubing (or equivalent). (Long enough to reach between your printer and your filament dry box.) (longer runs)
• Your filament dry-box should have a wall thickness of ~1-3mm.
• You will need a hole saw capable of making a 32-34mm hole through the side of your dry-box.

Instructions

• Locate the area where you want your dry-box port to be. (It should be low in the box, so the filament feeds off the spool easily).
• The center should be no less than 65mm from any edge.
• Using a hole saw and cut a hole 32-34mm in diameter though the box wall.
• Print the port, nut and spacer. (If you don't use the optimized gcode, ensure the infill is dense enough to allow for some clamping force without deforming or crushing, and shell thickness is enough to allow for robust thread profiles.)
• Screw the 1/8-4 or 1/8-8 Festo Push-In Male Connector into the 1/8 BSP threaded hole in the port.
• Pass the port though the hole in your dry-box from the outside so the 1/8-4 or 1/8-8 connector is on the outside of the box and the outer flange sits flat on the surrounding box face.
• Place the spacer over the large threaded portion of the port on the inside of the box so it rests flush against the inside face of the dry-box.
• Screw the nut onto the large thread inside the dry-box until it presses the port and the spacer together making a good seal in the wall of sandwiching the box wall between them.