PRUSAMENT SPOOL RE-USE DESSICANT CONTAINER

It's a great idea, recycling or reusing everything, but sometimes it doesn't go as expected!

This is a really fun print in several parts which can hold up to 200 grams of desiccant.

THE MODEL

This is a little more complicated than my usual as my previous experience printing vented dryboxes has been mixed to say the least.  

Therefore, it's in two parts - the vent part labelled (Spool Mesh), and the end cap itself into which the vent is inserted during printing.

PRINTING

 1 -  IMPORTANT - Print the mesh first!  The STL is a solid disk, go to infill settings in your slicer, and select “triangular infill” and 50 0r 60% (lower may be OK, but I used 60% because I like the look of it), now set the number of top and bottom layers to zero and you will be able to print a very fast, very effective circular mesh screen.  

It's probably smart to print two of these now, as you will need one for each end.

2 -  Now slice the Spool End Cap with a “stop to insert…” at approximately 5.7mm,

The actual height will vary slightly because of differing layer heights available, but if you look carefully at this image, you will see that it shows one layer above 5.7mm - one layer below this is a recess into which you need to fit the mesh!   Go to 5.7mm if you can't see the recess drop one layer at a time until you can and then right click on the “+” sign to insert your pause print.

If you need help message me!

3 - Continue the print and you will have a perfect two part print without the need for any fancy MMU.

ASSEMBLING THE TUBE.

Prepare to be disappointed!  It's a great idea, and they look very cool but in reality the central tubes are not the most reliable of things to work with:

By the time you get to use them, they've done their job, and despite my best efforts to get the diameter of the inserts just right, they will be either too tight, or just too loose.   You may not notice that the little splines are a different spacing to the spool sides, but they were made like that in the hope that I could find a place on every tube that would be reliably firm.

I could not!

Therefore, if you are intent on using the tube, please use one or three small screws to make sure the ends don't fall off.   I am still finding beads of silica gel on my garage floor a week after an end dropped out along with 200 grams of dessicant!

Be aware also that the cardboard is quite hydroscopic.  I live in an area of high humidity, and after just two hours in a dehydrator I managed to extract almost 3 grams of water from each of four tubes.

THE BETTER SOLUTION

Once you've had your fun, may I suggest that you print the plastic spool replacement body?  There are already holes in it for three tiny screws at each end, and it's completely reliable and doesn't soak up moisture from the atmosphere.