Metal compositions of particle emissions from material extrusion 3D printing: Emission sources and indoor exposure modeling

Abstract

Material extrusion 3D printing has been widely used in industrial, educational and residential environments, while its exposure health impacts have not been well understood. High levels of ultrafine particles are found being emitted from 3D printing and could pose a hazard when inhaled. However, metals that potentially transfer from filament additives to emitted particles could also add to the exposure hazard, which have not been well characterized for their emissions. This study analyzed metal (and metalloid) compositions of raw filaments and in the emitted particles during printing; studied filaments included pure polymer filaments with metal additives and composite filaments with and without metal powder. Our chamber study found that crustal metals tended to have higher partitioning factors from filaments to emitted particles; silicon was the most abundant element in emitted particles and had the highest yield per filament mass. However, bronze and stainless-steel powder added in composite filaments were less likely to transfer from filament to particle. For some cases, boron, arsenic, manganese, and lead were only detected in particles, which indicated external sources, such as the printers themselves. Heavy metals with health concerns were also detected in emitted particles, while their estimated exposure concentrations in indoor air were below air quality standards and occupational regulations. However, total particle exposure concentrations estimated for indoor environments could exceed ambient air fine particulate standards.