Technical control of nanoparticle emissions from desktop 3D printing

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Occupational Safety
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Material extrusion (ME) desktop 3D printers are known emitters of nanoparticles (NP).
• Effective risk management strategies are crucial due to widespread use.
• Previous studies highlight the need for evaluating engineering controls.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of four different engineering control measures for reducing NP emissions from ME desktop 3D printers.
• To compare the efficiency of general ventilation, local exhaust ventilation (LEV), retrofitted enclosure, and a combination of retrofitted enclosure with LEV.
• To determine the most reliable metric for evaluating control measure efficiency.

Main Methods:

• Real-life office conditions were used for online nanoparticle (NP) measurements.
• Indoor aerosol modeling was employed to supplement NP measurements.
• Four engineering control measures were tested: general ventilation, LEV, retrofitted enclosure, and retrofitted enclosure with LEV.
• Particle number and surface area (SA) concentrations were measured to compare control efficiencies.

Main Results:

• Surface area (SA) concentration was found to be a more reliable indicator of NP emission control than particle number concentration.
• General ventilation was insufficient for controlling NP emissions during regular or long-term ME desktop 3D printer use.
• Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) with a canopy hood showed limited effectiveness and posed challenges in optimal hood positioning.
• A retrofitted enclosure combined with LEV achieved a 96% reduction in NP emissions based on SA concentration.
• A retrofitted enclosure alone reduced NP emissions by 89% based on SA concentration, proving nearly as effective and potentially more practical than the combined system.

Conclusions:

• For managing nanoparticle emissions from material extrusion desktop 3D printers, a retrofitted enclosure, particularly when combined with local exhaust ventilation, is highly effective.
• A standalone retrofitted enclosure offers significant NP emission reduction and may be a more practical solution for many users.
• General ventilation alone is inadequate for mitigating NP exposure risks associated with 3D printing operations.