Lets Talk "Air Cleaner"

[ServiceXp]

Ok, I'm new to 3D Printing and all that goes along with it. I've been reading about some of the "hazzards" of printing inside a small room, and while I don't think there has been any "real" empirical studies on the matter, it has lead me to think about how to clean some of those particles up while printing.

Thoughts: (As they pertain to FFC Pro in a room that doesn't allow for external exhausting)

1) Would guess that it's better to recirculate within the enclosure, as apposed to drawling air through the machine and filtering on the way out? (to keep interior temperatures from dropping)
2) Would guess this filtration system should be located high in the enclosure or in the canopy? (I would think that the particulate would be carried up with heat)
3) Not sure what filtering material that would be needed, but I would guess that <.3 microns would be required?

[robosmith]

What makes you believe printing creates a lot of fine particles?

I would think any hazards would be more associated with gasses from melting plastic.

[ServiceXp]

From what I've been reading, it's the nano-particles from melting ABS that's seems to be the concern.

[Todd-67]

I think that this is a little bit overblown. I have been in injection mold shops for over 20 years and they don't run air purification systems or protective respirators. . Injection molding ABS in molds the size of a TV set frame all day if this was a serious problem they would have had to address it. I am not saying it's good for you but beyond the smell I doubt you are in much danger in the amounts we are working with.

[ServiceXp]

I think that this is a little bit overblown. I have been in injection mold shops for over 20 years and they don't run air purification systems or protective respirators. . Injection molding ABS in molds the size of a TV set frame all day if this was a serious problem they would have had to address it. I am not saying it's good for you but beyond the smell I doubt you are in much danger in the amounts we are working with.

Perhaps, but I would be surprised to hear they don't have proper ventilation in those shops (which is not the case for my room). As I alluded to in my first post, I'm not convinced it's a problem either, at least not until I see some empirical evidence of such..

At this point it's more of an exercise to see if I can come up with a "solution" with the FFCP in mind. If not just for some odor control.

[curious aardvark]

From what I've been reading, it's the nano-particles from melting ABS that's seems to be the concern.

don't use abs :-)

[ServiceXp]

Now you sound like my doctors..... Me: "My knee hurts right here when I jog...." Dr: "Well, you should stop jogging....."

[robosmith]

From what I've been reading, it's the nano-particles from melting ABS that's seems to be the concern.

Thanks for bringing this up. Fortunately, so far I've only done a limited amount of ABS printing.

Article

Conclusions: In this work, we present some of the first known measurements of which we are aware of UFP emissions from commercially available desktop 3D printers. Emission rates of total UFPs were approximately an order of magnitude higher for 3D printers utilizing an ABS thermoplastic feedstock relative to a PLA feedstock: ∼1.9 × 10¹¹ # min⁻¹ compared to ∼2.0 × 10¹⁰ # min⁻¹. However, both can be characterized as “high emitters” of UFPs. These results suggests caution should be used when operating some commercially available 3D printers in unvented or inadequately filtered indoor environments. Additionally, more controlled experiments should be conducted to more fundamentally evaluate aerosol emissions from a wider range of desktop 3D printers and feedstocks.

[ServiceXp]

Thanks for bringing this up. Fortunately, so far I've only done a limited amount of ABS printing.

Article

I wonder how this compares to 2d laser printers.....

[ServiceXp]

I think this design has promise, but because the FFCP is so "leaky" it's going to be somewhat of a challenge making it work without a ton of modifications..

I started thinking about re-routing the electrical and filament passage ways to fit a solid (and sealable) top cover, but then I thought.........