{
  "question": "Do I need to dry filament, and how?",
  "slug": "drying",
  "useCase": "drying",
  "useCaseLabel": "Drying",
  "updated": "2026-10-14",
  "shortAnswer": "Dry PETG, TPU, nylon, and PC. PLA tolerates room air and still prints better after drying. Community temperatures are PLA 45–55 °C, PETG 60–65 °C, TPU 50–55 °C, and nylon 70–80 °C, for 4–8 hours or longer, then store the spool with desiccant.",
  "recommendedMaterials": [
    "pla",
    "petg",
    "tpu",
    "pa6"
  ],
  "printerConsiderations": [
    "A food dehydrator or a dryer made for filament is the tool this consensus names. A kitchen oven overshoots and can soften the spool.",
    "Nylon and PC want an enclosure on the printer as well as a dry spool. Read the nylon guide before assuming an open printer can hold the nozzle range.",
    "Drying hours are not a field in this import. Do not fill 4–8 hours into a product row."
  ],
  "pros": [
    "The temperature bands are separated by material, which is the useful part of the consensus.",
    "Where a product record lists a drying maximum, the note says so, including when it disagrees with the community band."
  ],
  "cons": [
    "Sunlu S2 and S4 dryers are not filaments. This catalog has no dryer SKU to rank.",
    "No row lists drying hours. A maximum temperature without a time does not say how long to dry."
  ],
  "community": "The consensus is that PLA tolerates air but benefits from drying, and that PETG, TPU, nylon, and PC should be dried. Typical figures attached to that consensus are PLA 45–55 °C, PETG 60–65 °C, TPU 50–55 °C, nylon 70–80 °C, and 4–8 hours or longer, then storage with desiccant. The recommended tools are a Sunlu S2 or S4 or another dedicated filament dryer. The caveat is that ovens overshoot and can soften spools.",
  "related": [
    "pla_print",
    "nylon",
    "flex",
    "waterproof"
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Why does Bambu TPU 90A list 70 °C if the community says 50–55 °C?",
      "a": "Those are different sources. 70 °C is the drying maximum stored on that filament record. 50–55 °C is the community band for this question. Hours are missing in both cases here. Follow the spool’s own sheet when you have it, and do not average the two numbers."
    },
    {
      "q": "Can I dry a spool in a kitchen oven?",
      "a": "This consensus says not to. Ovens overshoot, and the spool can soften. Use a filament dryer."
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "PolyMide CoPA technical data sheet",
      "url": "https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0548/7299/7945/files/PolyMide_CoPA_TDS_V5.4.pdf",
      "kind": "datasheet"
    },
    {
      "title": "Bambu Lab TPU 90A technical data sheet",
      "url": "https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0645/5876/0155/files/Bambu_TPU_90A_Technical_Data_Sheet_582bf8f6-1f0a-474c-aeda-9e72af3689dc.pdf",
      "kind": "datasheet"
    },
    {
      "title": "Community source, r/3Dprinting xhbrsg",
      "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/xhbrsg/",
      "kind": "reddit"
    },
    {
      "title": "Community source, r/3Dprinting 17tg174",
      "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/17tg174/",
      "kind": "reddit"
    },
    {
      "title": "Community source, r/3Dprinting 1hunuh4",
      "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/1hunuh4/",
      "kind": "reddit"
    },
    {
      "title": "Community source, r/3Dprinting 1v1nwgi",
      "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/1v1nwgi/",
      "kind": "reddit"
    },
    {
      "title": "Community source, r/BambuLab 1h8bgew",
      "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/BambuLab/comments/1h8bgew/",
      "kind": "reddit"
    }
  ],
  "recommendations": [
    {
      "rank": 1,
      "note": "PLA with drying at 50 °C for 8 h on the US 10 kg page. The page states 50 ± 5 °C, inside the community PLA band.",
      "brand": "ELEGOO",
      "product": "PLA Basic",
      "material": "PLA",
      "url": "/brand/elegoo/pla-basic",
      "nozzle": "190–230 °C",
      "bed": "35–65 °C",
      "pricePerKg": null,
      "datasheetUrl": null,
      "affiliateUrl": null
    },
    {
      "rank": 2,
      "note": "PETG with a listed drying maximum of 65 °C, at the top of the community PETG band. Nozzle on the record is 230–270 °C. Hours are not listed.",
      "brand": "SUNLU",
      "product": "PETG 2.0",
      "material": "PETG",
      "url": "/brand/sunlu/petg-2-0",
      "nozzle": "230–270 °C",
      "bed": "70–80 °C",
      "pricePerKg": null,
      "datasheetUrl": null,
      "affiliateUrl": null
    },
    {
      "rank": 3,
      "note": "The record lists a drying maximum of 70 °C. Community TPU advice for this question is 50–55 °C. Do not treat 70 °C as the community figure. Hours are not listed.",
      "brand": "Bambu Lab",
      "product": "TPU 90A",
      "material": "TPU",
      "url": "/brand/bambu-lab/tpu-90a",
      "nozzle": "200–250 °C",
      "bed": "30–35 °C",
      "pricePerKg": null,
      "datasheetUrl": "https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0645/5876/0155/files/Bambu_TPU_90A_Technical_Data_Sheet_582bf8f6-1f0a-474c-aeda-9e72af3689dc.pdf",
      "affiliateUrl": null
    },
    {
      "rank": 4,
      "note": "Unfilled PA6 with a datasheet and a listed nozzle of 250–290 °C. The record does not list a drying temperature. Community nylon drying is 70–80 °C.",
      "brand": "Polymaker",
      "product": "Polymide Copa PA6",
      "material": "PA6",
      "url": "/brand/polymaker/polymide-copa-pa6",
      "nozzle": "250–290 °C",
      "bed": "80–100 °C",
      "pricePerKg": null,
      "datasheetUrl": "https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0548/7299/7945/files/PolyMide_CoPA_TDS_V5.4.pdf",
      "affiliateUrl": null
    }
  ]
}