Inventor showcases 3D printer filament dryer that mines Bitcoins and dries filament with waste heat, capable of 6 TH/s at 140W — joins Bitcoin-mining 3D printer in hobbyist-focused miner lineup

An inventor has showcased a “filament dryer that pays you bitcoin.” When this news popped up in our feed we weren’t surprised to see that PizzAndy from Proof Of Print was the brains behind it. It’s the same guy who created the 3D printer that mines Bitcoin. Moreover, it very likely uses the same principle of taking waste heat / watts from crypto mining ASICs for use within the 3D printing process.

A filament dryer?

A filament dryer is a desirable piece of equipment for 3D printing pros and hobbyists. It maintains the filament at a predefined controlled temperature. This stops the filament from absorbing moisture from the air. It is a more proactive step than simply keeping your filament in a decent storage box.

‘Wet filament’ problems are manifested as popping, stringing, and bubbling in the print process. Post-output, the same underlying issue may cause weak interlayer bonding and result in a poor surface finish on your objects. So, keep your filament dry, folks.

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Using a dedicated filament dryer also means you don’t have to worry about “hiding from your wife that you're drying filament in the kitchen oven,” notes PizzAndy.

Is it using the same underlying tech as the 3D printer that mines Bitcoin?

Though PizzAndy doesn’t explicitly say it, we are pretty sure this filament dryer uses the same underlying tech as in his 3D printer / Bitcoin miner. In that previously revealed product the 3D printer bed was kept steadily warm because it acted as a heatsink for a number of carefully throttled BTC mining ASICs.

The prototype 3D printer / Bitcoin miner could manage 500 GH/s when the bed was at 75°C. When we reported on that hybrid printing –mining device there was already talk about scaling things up.

Looking at PizzAndy’s latest stats, the new 3D printer filament dryer that mines Bitcoins may have already implemented some of the scaling and tuning that was talked about. Remember, this dryer prototype is capable of “6 TH/s @ 140W.”

Hopefully this new 3D printing filament dryer that mines BTC and the prior 3D printer with integrated Bitcoin miner don't just remain trade show prototypes for years.

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