If you own a Bambu Labs printer, especially one with an AMS, prepare to burn through filament faster than you ever expected. It’s not because you can, but because things just look better in colour. Multiple colours add a layer of professionalism and a beautiful finish. Naturally, your daughter won’t settle for just black or grey, she needs the perfect shade of purple. Sorry, excuse me, that's Violet Petal dad! You also find yourself “needing” a wider range of material types (PLA, PETG, ASA, and Carbon Fibre) as you start to use your prints in more complex environments that require strength, durability, or exposure to water or UV. And of course, then you need EVEN MORE rolls of filament because you now need multiple colours of each material.

Back in the days of my Prusa knockoff, I’d be lucky to go through a single spool of black filament in a few months. Now, I burn through a roll every other day. At any given time, I have 25 opened spools of different colours and materials on the go. That’s just the reality of regular printing with a Bambu Labs printer and an AMS.

Of course, this creates the challenge of storage. I live in Queensland, Australia, where the climate is much like Miami, Florida (where I lived once upon a time). It’s hot, and more importantly to our conversation, it's humid. Which is pretty much the worst possible condition for storing filament. Just google “what happens to filament when it's wet” if you are wondering about the impact.

Back in the good old days, when a single roll or two of filament would do me for a month, simple ziplock bags loaded with a few desiccant packs seemed to do the trick. Looking back, I can’t help but wonder how many of those failed prints on my dear old Prusa were doomed from the start due to wet filament. But when you are dealing with 5 to 30 rolls, zip-lock bags just don’t cut it. There is just-too much risk of an unsealed bag, a tiny puncture, or desiccant bags simply losing effectiveness. There is no shortage of advice out there, so here is another one, my go-to storage method, along with a few of my favourite designs to support it!

The secret to my killer solution? These storage boxes from Bunnings Ezy Storage 18L Waterproof IP67 Clear Storage Container which cost around $15 each. Every one fits five 1 kg rolls of filament perfectly, and once it is sealed, they stay airtight. For a quick and easy moisture control solution, just toss in as many silicon desiccant bags or packets as you’ve got lying around. With this setup, I’ve managed to keep the internal humidity at around 30% without much fuss at all.

The challenge, of course, is those desiccant bags. They are reusable, but it’s hard to gauge their effectiveness. It always feels like a bit of a lucky dip when it comes to how well they’re keeping moisture out of your filament. For my expanded setup, I wanted something more concrete, I wanted data, and I wanted reliability.

So, I switched to using reusable desiccant beads, easily found on platforms like Amazon. At around $30 for a kilo bag, they're a worthy investment. I love these:

Reusable Indicating Desiccant Beads Silica Gel Desiccant for Electronic Drying, Cabinet Storage (Industry Standard 2-4 mm).

There is something deeply satisfying about watching them change from a sickly black when wet to a bright, heartwarming orange when they are completely dry.

The real challenge is the wildness of the desiccant beads. Boy, do they bounce! Just looking at them seems enough to send them flying out of whatever container you’re trying to put them into. First, they will end up on your desk or table, then on the floor. Before you know it you are forever stepping on them. Trust me, they will drive you nuts. Your wife will give you that look, the, “You’re not about to spill those all over the kitchen again are you?” even if you bring them out without the appropriate precautions. At some point, handling them starts to feel like dealing with radioactive plutonium. You just need to be slow and careful, and you need the right tools and containers. Take my advice: don’t rely on trial and error if you live with anyone and value your relationships. I’ve learned the hard way: someone else stepping on your desiccant beads is about as close to declaring household war as it gets.

In the next few posts, I’ll share my solutions for storing and replenishing your desiccant beads with minimal hassle. I’ve also have a post on keeping moisture levels down in your AMS, an absolute must for Queenslanders! I hope you enjoy it, and maybe even get a laugh or two from my mistakes!

Related Posts (coming soon):

• Filament desiccant trays for the setup for 5 roles of DRY Filament
• How to deal with Dessicant Beads like its plutolum: The stuff you need to print, and how to deal with desiccant beads
• The best AMS trays for your Bambu Labs X1 Carbon to keep your AMS and filament Dry
• The stuff you need to print, and how to deal with desiccant beads
• The BEST AMS trays for your X1 Carbon.

Vendor Links in this post

• Bunnings Australia - 18l Waterproof Storage Container
• Amazon Australia Desiccant Beads
• Makerhero - www.makerhero.com.au - Violet Petal Filament