Essentium DryBox
Essentium has announced the launch of a 3D printing filament storage unit to protect materials in a humidity-controlled environment.
The company developed the DryBox cabinet in partnership with dry storage system company ECD in a bid to prolong the lifespan of materials and ensure better quality parts are produced on the Essentium High Speed Extrusion (HSE) system.
Thermoplastic extrusion materials, for example, need their moisture content properly controlled from manufacture to storage to printing in order to generate parts without defects. Recognising the importance for many of its industrial customers to have quality parts consistently, Essentium and ECD developed a tailored cabinet with the latter’s Smart Dry storage technology.
The DryBox platform is an automated system with a humidity recovery time of less than five minutes and the ability to maintain relative humidity levels under 1% (dew point under -40°C). It features self-regulating drying technology that allows manufacturers to retrieve critical moisture-sensitive components from dry storage up to a dozen times per hour; a user-friendly touchscreen interface to adjust setting and parameters; and integrated web server, onboard data logging and network connectivity capabilities. The DryBox is available in two sizes – the DB90 cabinet, which accommodates up to 24 750g spools, eight 2.5kg spools or six 15kg spools; and the DB270, which accommodates 72 750g spools, 24 2.5kg spools or 18 15kg spools. An optional, integrated baking feature is also available with the DB90 model.
“In today’s open platform environment in which users can purchase and print any filament they choose, it is important to dry each polymer at the appropriate time and temperature recommended by the manufacturer,” commented Brandon Sweeney, Ph.D., Head of R&D Materials and co-founder of Essentium. “We designed the DryBox with ECD to ensure manufacturers, particularly those in highly-regulated industries such as aerospace, rail, automotive and electronics manufacturing have an optimum environment that keeps 3D printing materials dry, extends shelf life and yields more consistent prints with better part quality.”
“Recognised as a premier system for storage of moisture-sensitive components for electronics manufacturing, SmartDRY’s performance and operational value are well-proven,” added Bob Schnyder, ECD VP Sales and Marketing. “The partnership with Essentium in the development of DryBox further underscores the flexibility of the platform to adapt for various humidity-controlled applications within multiple markets. DryBox will no doubt become the benchmark for 3D printing materials storage.”
