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Reducing particulate emissions from 3D printers using low-cost enclosures and engineering controls.

Christopher Barnes¹, Nick Dye¹, Colleen O'Connor¹

¹Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

Rapid Prototyping Journal

|April 9, 2026

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Low-cost engineering controls effectively reduce particle emissions from fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printers. These solutions enhance worker safety by mitigating airborne contaminants during 3D printing operations.

Area of Science:

Occupational Health and Safety
Additive Manufacturing
Environmental Engineering

Background:

3D printing emissions, particularly from fused filament fabrication (FFF), pose risks to worker health.
Previous research indicates a need for effective and accessible solutions to mitigate these emissions.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the efficacy of various low-cost engineering controls and enclosures in reducing particle emissions from FFF 3D printers.
To assess the effectiveness of custom-designed controls, commercial fume extractors, and enclosures.

Main Methods:

An emissions test chamber was used to evaluate controls and enclosures with two FFF 3D printers.
Particle emissions were measured with and without controls while printing a standard test artifact using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene filament.

Keywords:

3D Printing Contaminant mitigation Control systems Engineering design Fused deposition modelling ventilation

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Control efficiency was quantified by comparing emission levels.

Main Results:

Minimum control efficiencies (MCE) for tested controls (A-G) ranged from 84.36% to 99.95%.
Exhaust ventilation to outdoor air (Control G) demonstrated the highest efficacy (MCE ≥ 98.35%).
Enclosures showed variable effectiveness, with MCEs ranging from 67.3% to 94.97% depending on the printer and enclosure type.

Conclusions:

Low-cost engineering controls and enclosures are effective in reducing particle emissions from FFF 3D printing.
These controls are not printer or material specific, offering versatile solutions.
Implementing these controls can significantly improve worker health in environments utilizing 3D printing technologies.