3D Printer Filament Dryer

Over Summer 2024, I built a 3D printer filament dryer. Filament which has absorbed moisture produces poor quality prints and results in print failures.  Most drying boxes on the market are expensive and the cheaper ones perform poorly, so I wanted to create my own dryer to solve these issues. My goal was to create a low-cost dryer which can maintain a temperature of 80°C using closed-loop control. I considered resistive heating elements, infrared heaters, and Peltier modules. I ultimately decided to use a Peltier module due to its precise temperature control at moderately high temperatures.

The entire box was designed using SolidWorks. I used laser cut acrylic for the walls and 3D printed components for the Peltier support and . Off-the-shelf components include 608 bearings due to their availability, a PC fan for air extraction, and an aluminum heatsink which I modified to integrate with the system. I chose aluminum over copper since it provided 2/3 of the thermal conductivity for 1/4 of the price.

On the electronics side, I used an Arduino Uno, relays, a combination temperature and humidity sensor, a Peltier module, and an LCD display for the current and setpoint temperature.

My next steps include better characterization of the thermal performance of the Peltier module and running thermal simulations to compare different Peltier modules, and better packaging of the electronics.

Overall, this project not only taught me a lot about electronics and heat transfer, but the result is also useful in my day-to-day life.