Characterization of Emissions in Fab Labs: An Additive Manufacturing Environment Issue

Shirin Khaki,Philippe Marin,Maud Rio

doi:10.3390/su14052900

Abstract

The emergence of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, such as 3D printing and laser cutting, has created opportunities for new design practices covering a wide range of fields and a diversity of learning and teaching settings. The potential health impact of particulate matter and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from AM technologies is, therefore, a growing concern for makers. The research behind this paper addresses this issue by applying an indoor air quality assessment protocol in an educational fabrication laboratory. The paper presents the evaluation of the particle emission rate of different AM technologies. Real-time monitoring of multiple three-dimensional Polylactic Acid (PLA), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE) printers and Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) laser cutters was performed in different usage scenarios. Non-contact electrical detectors and off-line gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to detect VOCs. The results show that the emitted particle surface area concentrations vary between 294 and 406.2 μm2/cm3 for three-dimensional printers, and between 55.06 and 92.3 μm2/cm3 for laser cutters. The experiments demonstrate that the emission concentrations were highly dependent on the filtration systems in place. The highest quantities of VOCs emitted included Cyclohexene and Benzyl Alcohol for PLA, ABS and TPE 3D printers, and formic acid and Xylene for PMMA laser cutters. The experiment concludes that signature emissions are detectable for a given material type and an AM technology pair. A suitable mitigation strategy can be specified for each signature detected. Finally, this paper outlines some guidelines for improving indoor air quality in such specific environments. The data provided, as well as the proposed indoor air quality protocol, can be used as a baseline for future studies, and thus help to determine whether the proposed strategies can enhance operator and bystander safety.

Highlights

Introduction of additive manufacturing (AM) Technologies and theConsequences of Air Quality on HealthA rapid increase in the commercial use of AM technologies, especially on nonindustrial sites where the appropriate exposure mitigation solutions are not compulsory, is a potential source of risk for both operators and occupants [8]
Precise information about emissions would be useful to prevent potential damage to users’ health. Several studies conducted both in isolated test chambers and conventional office buildings have identified that 3D printers emit UltraFine Particles (UFPs: Particulate Matter (PM) of nanometer scale size,
This paper outlines the quantification of both the particles and the VOCs released during operations with fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printers using five adjuncts and laser cutters using polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)

Summary

Introduction

Introduction of AM Technologies and theConsequences of Air Quality on HealthA rapid increase in the commercial use of AM technologies, especially on nonindustrial sites where the appropriate exposure mitigation solutions are not compulsory, is a potential source of risk for both operators and occupants [8]. Precise information about emissions would be useful to prevent potential damage to users’ health. Several studies conducted both in isolated test chambers and conventional office buildings have identified that 3D printers emit UltraFine Particles (UFPs: Particulate Matter (PM) of nanometer scale size,

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion