Filament Drying Storage Container

I needed a way to store and dry my filament to extend its life. I looked at commercial systems and felt they were out of my budget and didn't really address the quantity of filament I have. So I have used 5 gallon buckets for many things over the years and decided this was another. This storage container will hold five rolls of filament. 

What you will need: 

a five gallon bucket of course

a Gama Seal Lid

a bag of desiccant

filament 

 The cost of the main items will vary from location to location. The bucket $5-$8, The Gama lid $8-$10, the desiccant ( I buy Crystal Cat litter from Walmart for $8 for a 16 lb bag, it is silica gel desiccant), then the filament can be anything you want to use. You will use about 1.5 cups of the desiccant in the bottom of the bucket then put the grate on top of that. This keeps the desiccant from getting into the spools of filament. 

For mine I used Elegoo Rapid PETG that I had on hand but PLA will work fine. Follow the temperature recommendations on your filament roll.  No supports are needed and whatever speed your printer can print reliably is the one to use.

Right now the grate for the bottom of the bucket is the printable item you will need to print for each of your buckets. I am working on some fittings and a housing for a fan to add a little air movement in the bucket to assist with keeping the filament dry. I will add the stls for those as soon as I have made and tested them.

The reason I use the Gamma Seal lid is it screws on and off and it has a seal to keep the container air tight. It makes it a lot easier to get into the buckets.

I may add a heater and thermostat to my model to improve the design. I have the parts needed to do it. I just need to make the time to actually work out the details. Anyway it is a possible near future project.