3D Printing Techniques Drywise Smart Wire Dryer Review & Performance Comparison
This article, written by the internationally renowned 3D Printing Industry, reviews and tests the Drywise filament drying system . For makers unfamiliar with the Drywise brand or still comparing filament dryers, read this article to help you make a decision!
Using damp filament for 3D printing can negatively impact part quality, such as causing poor surface finish and reduced mechanical properties . To address this, many people use ovens or food dehydrators to dry the material . However, this method requires drying the entire spool at once and cannot control the optimal temperature for each piece of material, resulting in repeated cycles of drying and drying, which ultimately damages the material's quality .
(Source: 3D Printing Industry )
How can Drywise improve 3D printing results?
Drywise's upright intelligent wire dryer dries wire during 3D printing, significantly accelerating the entire workflow. It pre-treats very wet wire before 3D printing in less than an hour. This also reduces downtime, which is important for users requiring high-volume parts production.
1. Smart Sensors
This ensures that the material is dried to its optimal condition. This ensures that the filament is not damaged during drying or 3D printing, thereby minimizing material waste and reducing related costs for the user.
2. Pre-programmed materials
Drywise also provides preset parameters for various brands of cables. Therefore, users don't need to manually enter drying settings before each use, ensuring consistent and optimal drying results. This eliminates guesswork and allows for perfect results without researching or experimenting with different settings.
3. Prevent system overheating
These sensors also prevent the system from overheating and automatically shut down the heater when a blockage is detected. The Drywise system can then operate unattended in a lights-out production environment with complete peace of mind .
Drywise Unboxing Contents
The system is completely enclosed in a metal casing, compact in size, and adaptable to most additive manufacturing environments. Collected moisture is stored in a drying tube located at the rear of the Drywise unit. These tubes can be easily removed and replaced, minimizing downtime for 3D printers aimed at high-volume production. The tubes can also be regenerated by emptying their contents into a container and heating at 240°C for approximately 4 hours.
Drywise's front and rear panels include a 4.3-inch touchscreen, outlet, drying tubes, and preheater. (Source: 3D Printing Industry )
Drywise packaging is secure and sturdy, with no damaged or missing parts. We can get the system up and running in just 10-15 minutes, and the installation process is easy for one person to complete.
(Source: 3D Printing Industry )
The package does not include a spool holder. It is recommended to download models from many websites for printing, or some 3D printers may have built-in spool holders; you can adjust the placement as needed.
Drywise's packaging, kit contents, and 3D printable roll holders. (Source: 3D Printing Industry )
Drywise performance test comparison
To evaluate Drywise's performance, 3D Printing Industry conducted a series of tests comparing parts printed with and without the drying system. In each test, 3D Printing Industry exposed the material to a humid environment to ensure it absorbed sufficient moisture, which can significantly impact part quality. The following tests primarily used highly hygroscopic filaments such as TPU and nylon , which are expensive materials commonly used in industrial applications :
TPU shrinkage test
BASF TPU undried filament vs. dried filament (Source: 3D Printing Industry )
BASF TPU combines high rigidity with good flexibility, making it suitable for producing functional prototypes and end-use parts. When 3D printing with TPU, Drywise significantly reduces stringing, especially at the tips. The dried material also exhibits less bleeding, resulting in noticeably improved surface and lamination quality.
PAHT CF shrinkage test
PAHT CF 9891 Undried filament vs. Dried filament (Source: 3D Printing Industry )
Luvocom PAHT CF 9891 carbon fiber reinforced polyamide possesses high strength and high temperature resistance, but the results varied greatly. The dried wire showed only slight stringing marks at the tip, while the undried material suffered from persistent defects.
PAHT Nylon Bridging Test (Evaluating Differences in Unsupported 3D Printing)
Cantilever test using 3D printing with undried and dried filaments (Source: 3D Printing Industry )
When using Lehvoss Luvocom 3F PAHT 9825 nylon filament, Drywise resulted in cleaner bridging models with less sag. Wet filament produces a noticeable popping sound during extrusion, indicating that moisture is boiling and evaporating. This leads to significant inconsistencies in the final parts.
TPU Single Component Comparison Test
The lower half contains dry material, and the upper half contains undried material. (Source: 3D Printing Industry )
Initially, a model was printed using Drywise. Drywise was paused midway, allowing the second half of the model to be extruded without drying. Using BASF TPU 64D, the dried lower half of the model achieved a clean, uniform stack with no surface defects. After removing Drywise, the wet material produced significant leakage and stringing, along with poor surface quality and multiple interlayer gaps.
PA Hexagonal and Cylindrical Tests
Accuracy test pieces of hexagonal and round tubes 3D printed from undried and dried BASF PA filaments (Source: 3D Printing Industry )
The results show that the accuracy of parts printed using Drywise is significantly improved. The average dimensional difference of 3D printing using dried filament is 0.1465 mm, significantly lower than 0.2186 mm for undried filament. Furthermore, the overall standard deviation using Drywise is 0.0454 mm, compared to 0.0633 mm without it.
Performance in real-world application cases
PLA Lily Impeller
Lily impellers 3D printed using undried and dried PLA (Source: 3D Printing Industry )
A lily impeller, commonly used in pumps to create centrifugal force to propel liquid out, was 3D printed using PLA . Although this material is not very hygroscopic, it is popular in the 3D printing industry. This test provided a good opportunity to determine if there are any significant benefits to drying the PLA before 3D printing.
The test results showed that the dried wire exhibited good geometry with no obvious defects, while the undried wire showed significant stringing. However, the defects in the undried wire were not as severe as those in more hygroscopic materials such as nylon or TPU .
TPU drive belt 
Using undried and dried TPU 3D printing drive belts (Source: 3D Printing Industry )
Undried wire, due to its high moisture content, exhibited inconsistencies and gaps between layers, and noticeable stringing was observed on all gears of the belt. After drying with Drywise, the parts had excellent surface and gap quality, with no visible defects.
PA differential gearbox
Differential gearboxes printed using undried and dried PA 3D printing. (Source: 3D Printing Industry )
Gears printed with Drywise dried wire rotate freely without any resistance. Gearboxes made with undried material jam at certain points of rotation due to moisture in the material causing defects in the gears. Wire drawing also creates resistance between the gears.
Nylon intake manifold
3D printing of intake manifolds using undried and dried NylonX wire. (Source: 3D Printing Industry )
Nylon is well-suited for manufacturing these types of parts due to its heat and vibration resistance. While intake manifolds in consumer vehicles are typically made of aluminum or magnesium, nylon is frequently used in racing applications to reduce weight.
Numerous stringing issues were observed with the undried nylon throughout the parts, a defect that was significantly reduced after using Drywise. In fact, parts printed with dried nylon showed virtually no visible problems, exhibiting a remarkably clean surface.
Can materials exposed to the environment for years be saved ?
Anyone who frequently uses an FDM 3D printer likely has at least one long-abandoned roll of filament. Material exposed to the environment for years may have absorbed enough moisture to severely impair its mechanical properties. This could render the material unprintable and thus lead to its disposal and waste.
We tested PolyaMide CoPA nylon that had been exposed to the environment for 6 years. 
Intake manifolds 3D printed using undried and dried PolyaMide CoPA filaments (Source: 3D Printing Industry )
Unfortunately, Drywise cannot fully restore this yarn. Shrinkage, stringing, and leakage issues persist in both wet and dry models. However, models made with dry CoPA feel significantly stiffer than wet models, suggesting that some mechanical properties can be recovered.
Is the Drywise vertical intelligent wire drying system a worthwhile investment?
Drywise is an efficient and affordable filament drying system optimized for industrial applications. It improves the quality and accuracy of 3D printed parts, especially when using moisture-sensitive materials such as TPU and nylon. Most importantly, Drywise offers industrial users invaluable convenience – peace of mind. Whether fulfilling large-volume parts orders or 3D printing with expensive materials, the nightmare of failure is all too familiar in the industry. Drywise overcomes these problems, making it a key weapon for any user looking to print high-quality 3D parts for the first time.
While there is still some room for improvement, Drywise stands out as an effective and affordable solution for industrial FDM 3D printing workflows. With its intuitive user interface, it enables users to efficiently overcome the challenges of hygroscopic materials, ensuring reliable production of high-quality parts.
The team will continue to add and optimize material presets, which is expected to further enhance Drywise's functionality and achieve better results when using saturated filament 3D printing.
SanDiMa offers more than just 3D printing ; the 3D Printing Industry provides three major OEM services: " 3D Printing Manufacturing ," " 3D Scanning Services ," and " Spatial 3D Scanning Services !"
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