3D printers are worse than I thought. Time to do something about it!

Don't breathe this!

The Ikea filters I used are FÖRNUFTIG (EPA12 + carbon) and the more affordable UPPÅTVIND (EPA only)

Read the article to this video here:

Parts and sensors used:
I also used an SHT40 temperature and humidity sensor in the front, but it is noticeably inaccurate. I'm currently trying a AHT21 as a replacement.

Papers and sources referenced:

Models shown:

Product links are affiliate links - I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you)

[tommihommi]

louder printers are more safe because they make you stay out of the room while it's running :D

[XxMsrSzprzxX]

The irony of a resin sponsor in a video about 3D printing fumes.

[mattcantwell]

As someone who’s exclusively printed with ASA for the last three years - it was nice knowing you all

[markus]

I think it's worth noting that most air purifiers that have activated carbon in their filters are meant to filter odours, not harmful pollutants. There's so little carbon in there, it almost feels like a joke.

[Shankovich]

So funny enough, my lab at work spent $20, 000 to get a professional company to do air quality assessments when our Bambu’s and Form 4 is running. Only did it with PLA. Nothing bad in the samples, though there were massive PM 2.5 spikes. Again, what was in the air was very low in concentration, well below any TWA average but didn’t pass indoor air quality; they checked for many many chemicals. So yes, lots of PM 2.5, but what that PM 2.5 was wasn’t of any significant concern. Don't know if this comment will get traction. I’ll see if we can show the results one day.

Wow, got a lot of traction. I'll UPDATE here:
Our setup is two X1C's, a Form 4, Wash L and Cure L, within vicinity of each other in a corner area of what was originally a warehouse so the ceiling is 40 feet above us. I expected the Wash L filled with IPA to be the main culprit for VOC's and it was. For PM2.5 it's a bit of a tough call as the area has soldering being done on and off and is generally dusty. The TWA for compounds was below all thresholds but PM2.5 being above IAQ could also be from the fact our facility is in an area where tons of 16-wheelers stop and go by during the day.

Personally I'm sure some still comes from the printing itself, but these might be PLA microparticles they just don't have a spectrum check for. Mind you, the 'spike' was pretty close to the IAQ limit which is why it passed TWA, but again, almost anything in the air will count as PM2.5.

What I am happy for is that we'll be designing a new area soon and first thing I added was extractor hoods for the zone which will be enclosed completely. I'll see if I'm allow to publish results (as these don't explicitly belong to me).

We used a 3rd party to analyze and I was there to monitor the contractor the entire time, no conspiracy here. We had samples go through spectroscopy to analyze pages worth of compounds.

[Happydprinting]

I read an article a few years ago that you are exposed to dangerous levels of voc’s when you buy a new sofa with foam cushions and the memory foam mattresses can both of gas for weeks after installation. My printers are in a dedicated room where I don’t work while printers are running. Years ago photocopiers and laser printers had to be installed in a dedicated room with high ventilation due to toxic fumes. This is an issue that’s around us everyday and not just 3d printing.

[ThereIsNoRoot]

Thanks for helping to keep this community safely printing for decades to come.

[hexitex]

I got bladder cancer and the first question the doctors asked me is "do you work with industrial chemicals?" - seems that exposure to toxic chemicals is the number one reason for bladder cancer. I don't work with toxic chemicals but did spend a lot of time printing various plastics I spend almost no time in the presence of a print in progress now.

[VolkanTaninmis]

Please note that: most of the hepa filters that you are purchasing from amazon/aliexp are not hepa.

[ares]

I print only with PLA but even then it worries me what some companies put into it. Their own undisclosed 11 herbs and spices. 'Prints nicer now' sure, sure... but why...? They don't give out that info so how can I know it doesn't give me extra chance of cancer as well. There are so many kinds of PLA now, +, high speed and some other mumbo jumbo.

[j.a.]

It's great to see someone finally talk seriously about the elephant in the room. The numbers presented may not be accurate enough to know exactly what's going on. This video is however significantly better than Joel stuffing his head into the enclosure during an ABS print, taking a big whiff, and saying "Dis not so good."

[alphamegaman]

Bought my first home 3D printer in 2014. Ran mostly ABS for 3 years in an enclosed, heated system. Some of the First things I printed were parts to mount a Noctua fan with high static pressure on top of the enclosure to pull the fumes out of the enclosure, through some 4" ducting to a custom installed window frame that mounted an air conditioner and had a clear polycarbonate panel with a through passage to the outside that the ducting would flow through, evacuating the fumes and particulates from the room the printer was in. Had an activated charcoal and dust filter on the outside to mitigate the impact on the environment.
I also flipped the power supply over to pull fresh air through it instead of from the chamber and into my room, and got some free chamber heating in the process!
Had variable speed control on the fan to help regulate the chamber temps depending on bed temp.
No smell, no headaches, no nasty fumes or materials going into my lungs! 👍

Mike in San Diego. 🌞🎸🚀🖖
Former R&D Engineer with 30 years of experience.

[RadioactvPanda]

Testing like this is so important to the community! Thank you for digging into the details and helping us make more informative safe decissions! I'd love to see more on this kind of stuff down the road! Thanks again ❤!

[thehardwareguy]

Interesting! When I first started printing I noticed I always had a sore throat whenever my printer was running, even printing PLA & PETG. Ever since, I've always built enclosures and vented it out.
This micro-plastic exposure will undoubtedly have long term effects, we just don't have the data yet.

[MarioTheModder]

Very surprised there was no mention of the Nevermore filter project! It's an open-source recirculating filter with a few configurations. They're mainly intended for Vorons but can be installed in/on any printer.

I have a Nevermore StealthMax and it holds about 1lb of activated carbon pellets. It has VOC sensors in the intake and exhaust to verify the filter is working as it should. You want to really seal up your printer well because it is a recirculating filter. The more times the air passes through, the cleaner it will be. Plus, you don't want unfiltered air leaking out. It's very effective and I really appreciate the effort the contributors have put into it.

[nemesis_]

Geez. He’s not just making this stuff up
He’s “pulling numbers out of thin air” 😂

[Roobotics]

Please consider doing a follow-up on this with other filaments for TPU, PC, Nylon, CF infused filaments (Or could CF pose the risk of damaging of causing permanent offsets to the air sensors, since they are conductive?)

[PaulStevensonPinball]

Thanks for reporting on this health issue, the community needs more awareness. 7 years ago I was printing some ABS and stunk up the house, my gf freaked out and forbid me from printing anymore. I did my homework, and learned that pretty much all filaments emit VOCs, so I agreed and stopped the hobby altogether. But I really wanted to print again, and 3 years later I came up with a proper solution. I got a Printed Solid enclosure for my Prusa, installed a couple 60mm Noctua fans, attached a couple 2" diameter duct hoses, and ran them out a nearby window through an MDF gap filler panel. It worked better than I expected, you can't smell a thing with ABS, and exhaust ventilation is sufficient for printing PLA with the enclosure closed (enclosure temp rise is only around +5C). Last year, I got a Prusa XL and immediately made a custom enclosure. I designed it to fully control airflow, with intakes in the front bottom, and 4x 80mm Noctua fans that exhaust out two 3" duct hoses, again through the same window panel. It works great, enclosure temp rise with PLA is only about +6C, so I can print all filaments with the enclosure fully closed.

My XL enclosure looks similar to the SUMO, but the SUMO doesn't actually control airflow. I don't like Prusa's XL enclosure either, but I can't really say if it's properly designed for controlling airflow. Essentially, both of my enclosures are negative pressure cases, sucking in fresh air near the bottom, and exhausting out the fan ports.

I'm not a fan of the filter approach. These devices and consumables are expensive and less than 100% effective. And don't forget that pretty much all enclosures require you to open them up for PLA, so no filtering at all. PLA will give me a headache after a few hours, so this is unacceptable to me. Exhausting out the window is essentially free, 100% effective, and works for all filaments.

[kotqrka]

Now the next logical step will be to test effectiveness of diy 3d-printer related filters: nevermore, rebreather, etc.

[DCXTV]

I used to work at a plastic factory where the ABS smoke was thick always when having to switch between materials (transparent, black, white and between PC and ABS). We also used a soldering iron to fix holes in products made of rubber material. Once I was washing my hands with acetone several times a day to get rid of the paint from stamp marking products, and the first layer of the skin was destroyed for a long time. Can't say I miss that job.