SUNLU FilaDryer S4
| Filament Dryer | 4x Spools |
SUNLU FilaDryer S4, the largest filament drier from the S series.
The SUNLU FilaDryer S4 was introduced as a capable but affordable companion for 3D enthusiasts that want to get pristine prints by keeping their filaments dry.
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SUNLU FilaDryer S4 Review
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A
ACCESSORIES & PACKAGING
3.25/5
The SUNLU FilaDryer S4 comes inside a standard cardboard packaging.
With the device you will also get:
• 4x short PTFE tubes
• 2x long PTFE tubes
• 8x silicone caps
• 8x locking clips
• Power cable
AS
ASSEMBLY
4.75/5
The machine comes completely pre-assembled from factory without any need of screws, nuts, bolts nor cabling to be assembled – you just need to install desiccants.
D
DESIGN
4.25/5
The dryer has a rectangular form factor, centered around a dark theme (if you prefer light colors, a variant of the SUNLU FilaDryer S4 in white color is also available to choose)
The unit can hold inside up to either 4x 1kg filament spools or 2x 2kg spools thanks to its large internal chamber measuring 450x210x211mm.
On the top you will find 2 independent doors/lids with hinges, each of which holds 2 filament outlet ports that can be coupled with the bundled PTFE tubes.
The left and right panels of the device hold 2 additional filament outlets per side, allowing users to select any of the outlets for the filament spools.
On the front you will see the display screen and a semi-translucent, black panel. All across the front panel and sitting on each side of the display, there are 2 long green-colored LED strip lights that can serve to either embellish the aesthetics or to understand some of the operational status of the heater.
Inside the chamber you will find a removable grid cover that holds beneath a slot for desiccants, this makes a breeze the installation and replacement of desiccants. On the other hand, there are no desiccant pre-installed nor bundled from factory, so you will need to purchase and place them yourself – the cost is pennies though.
A detail to highlight is that the inner chamber does not include a dedicated internal LED light to ease the visibility of the inner contents of the chamber, yet the semi-translucid black front panel does provide a partial degree of visibility.
DS
DISPLAY SCREEN
4/5
The display of the SUNLU FilaDryer S4 is significantly larger than what we have found on other filament dryers on the market.
This screen is touch sensitive, like on the SUNLU Filament Connector FC01, with a total of 4 buttons and a backlit design.
The white LED backlight of the panel will turn on and remain on for 90 seconds after you tap any of the 4 touch-sensitive buttons.
The large screen will give you information such as:
• Temperature target
• Current temperature
• Humidity
• Drying times
• Mode selection
• Presets
• Filament setting
• External LED control
OC
OPERATION & CONTROL
4/5
The device can be set in a range of 35°C to 70°C (the brand lists 25°C as the minimum settable temperature but it can actually go as low as 35°C) – you can set the machine in Celsius or Fahrenheit.
From factory, the machine has dedicated pre-made presets for many filament types, setting the optimal parameters and temperature for drying them efficiently without needing the users to do research about each filament’s parameter.
Still, you have the option to override any of the presets and manually set the target temperature, target humidity and runtime.
The touch buttons on the display screen are used to set and control the presets, temperature, time, humidity and auto-modes. Each button press responds with audible beep feedback to confirm the press of the button.
In addition to the filament presets, the device includes 2 semi-automatic modes MO1 and MO2; which enable the possibility to set a desired time (MO1) or humidity (MO2) to be monitored by the auto features of the FilaDryer S4. On this auto-mode MO2, the machine will measure and compare the internal chamber with the set targets and automatically start when the internal conditions fall above the target ranges and automatically stop when a humidity of 25% is reached again.
When the machine activates the PTC heaters, the 2 green LED strip lights will move dynamically and stop moving once the target temperature is reached and the PTC heaters are turned off – this applies to the static light effect (idle) and will depend on the light effect that you chose.
A personal preference would had been that the machine turned on in a passive mode with the temperature and humidity readings being actively showed but without necessarily needing to turn on the vents/PTC heater.
CB
CONSTRUCTION & BUILD
4/5
Most of the external parts of the SUNLU FilaDryer S4 have a combination of plastic and acrylic, being the main shell made of plastic and the front panel of acrylic, yet the base of the unit has 2 long metal tubular-shaped feet system (4 rubberized addons are also placed to reduce slippery issues)
Internally, the FilaDryer holds a 300W PTC heater and triple fans that ensure that all 4 filament spools are dried in 360°. The dryer is protected by software protection and audible alarms in case that something goes wrong.
A detail regarding build; apparently, the S4 does not have rubber gaskets around the lid’s closure, which was unexpected.
CON
CONNECTIVITY
2.5/5
The only connector that you will find will be the power connector.
There are no additional connectivity for software communication nor ports for firmware updates – not a type of machine that would need many firmware updates but we did see a port for updates on the Creality filament dryer.
V
VERSATILITY
4.5/5
The design of the SUNLU FilaDryer S4 allows it to be used with filaments ranging from 1.75mm up to 3mm and enabling drying while printing with all 4 filament spools available inside by using any of the 8 filament outlet ports. This also means that you can print with 4 printers at the same time with the filament spools inside the FilaDryer S4.
With the temperature working ranges available on the S4, the machine can serve as dryer and dehumidifier for all the most common filament types on the market (PLA, PLA+, PETG, ABS, PA, PC, TPU, etc.)
A superior quality of the SUNLU FilaDryer S4 over other dryers on the market is the versatility and even re-purposing potential of the machine for drying tasks that can cover other products beside only filaments. In fact, the brand itself showcases the SUNLU FilaDryer S4 in a scenario where it is transformed into a shoe dryer.
We decided to push it a way more forward and tried it as a sort of dry cabinet for professional photography lenses. First we tried it passive because the active heating temps could damage the equipment but since the S4 can go as low as 35°C, we then did a 2nd test with the S4 actively working in mode MO2 for humidity control while setting the temperature at 35°C and humidity target to 40%. On top of that, we were amazed at the capacity that the FilaDryer S4 offered, where we were able to store a whopping number of 10 pro-grade Canon L series lenses that included even monsters like a 300mm f2.8, 70-200mm f2.8, 85mm f1.2 and with remaining free space to fit another 70-200mm f2.8 with a camera body or 2 bodies.
P
PERFORMANCE
5/5
It is fair to note that despite the 4 spool banks and dual independent top lids, the S4 dryer has a single, shared heated chamber. This means that you cannot control independently 2 chambers for different temperature/humidity targets but you need to control the whole single chamber.
Despite not having rubber gaskets around the top lid, the S4 did a good job preserving the internal humidity of the chambers while being passive and the added sealing caps with locking clips ensure a tighter non-leaking closure for the filament outlets.
We tested the SUNLU FilaDryer S4 with a wide variety of filaments that included PLA, PC-ABS, PA12-CF, PA6-CF, PA-GF, PLA+ and TPU.
Old PLA and PLA+ spools that showed stringing while printing became as good as new after a cycle of 50°C for 5 hours, after which re-running the print tests, completely eliminated any traces of stringing.
Another test results that we find worth mentioning as a representation of the FilaDryer’s capabilities were the optimization of our engineering filaments PA12-CF and PA6-CF which were nearly impossible to use out-of-the-box as they snapped and gave brittle printing leftover effects. Despite being more efficient a range between 80°C to 100°C to dry these type of filaments, we got a highly noticeable improvement of the filament quality after running them in a 10 hours cycle at 70°C with the SUNLU FilaDryer S4. After this, none of the PA12-CF and PA16-CF snapped and the brittle leftovers were no longer present.
In addition to this, the FIlaDryer S4 facilitated and improve all prints with all filaments when used as an active heater and spool holder while printing.
PC
POWER CONSUMPTION
4/5
The declared rated power of 330W is fairly accurate with our measurements, which saw an average constant consumption of 330W while heating and micro-spikes of around 600W when the PTC heaters turn on each first time.
Once the temperature/humidity set is reached, the FilaDryer S4 shows a remarkably low consumption of 6W to 7W – these wattage was measured while the PTC heaters were not active and only the vents were keeping the airflow.
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SUNLU FilaDryer S4 Technical Specifications
Name: S4-Filament Dryer
Model: S4-FD
Net weight: 4.8KG
Outer Size: 516*278*350mm
G.W.: 5.5KG
QTY/BOX: 1pc
Size: 458*218*312mm (including the height of the tripod)
Colour: Black
Maximum Capacity: 450*210*211mm
Power Input: AC 110V~240V 50Hz/60HZ
Rated Power: 330W
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