Is 3D printing safe? Report on toxicity of gas produced.

[www.instructables.com]
Not sure if this has been linked before, but it is interesting reading.

Thanks, this should hopefully clear up some of the arguments around polyamide printing.

Awesome I can now set one up in my bedroom and I see they tested weed trimmer line too. WOOHOO.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/2012 08:19AM by Dark Alchemist.

Yes but they only tested for HCN. There are lots of other volatile products given off. I can smell them!

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[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

nophead Wrote:
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> Yes but they only tested for HCN. There are lots
> of other volatile products given off. I can smell
> them!

Yes, it will smell horrible, like melting a bic pen, but not all of those smells are toxic. Heck, I smell nasty stuff from ABS plastic when I get near a Makerbot.

edit: Darn typos.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/2012 09:20AM by Dark Alchemist.

No but some people say ABS fumes are carcinogenic, some say not. Some say PTFE gives off poisonous fumes above 200C, some say not till 300C. I really have no idea other than I breathed ABS fumes for a few years before I boxed my machines and I am not dead yet.

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[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

nophead Wrote:
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> No but some people say ABS fumes are carcinogenic,
> some say not. Some say PTFE gives off poisonous
> fumes above 200C, some say not till 300C. I really
> have no idea other than I breathed ABS fumes for a
> few years before I boxed my machines and I am not
> dead yet.
Careful because if like asbestos it could take 20 years before it starts to kick in.

... every 'cracked' plastic have carcinogenic risk - but it's the same as with smoking ... some people smokes hard until 90+, other die for lung-cancer because of a short exposure time some ten years ago

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

I doubt I will care in 20 years time as both my parents had dementia by that age.

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[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

20 years from first exposure.

There are many types of material available for 3D printing, and mostly the material used is obtained by reducing maximum waste which includes powder, resin and acrylates. However sustainability is a goal without finish line.

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sticker printing | custom stickers

I am very grateful to the person who wrote this instructable. It shows how little HCN is really given off, and this test is for a very small enclosed chamber. Now I can feel safe when printing with my weed trimmer line I will link to this instructable on the wiki page for printing Nylon.

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I am a printrbot owner who refuses to pay for expensive filament anymore. I started using Nylon weed trimmer line, which is about a third of the price. Instructions are here:
[reprap.org]

galaxyman7 Wrote:
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> I am very grateful to the person who wrote this
> instructable. It shows how little HCN is really
> given off, and this test is for a very small
> enclosed chamber. Now I can feel safe when
> printing with my weed trimmer line I will link
> to this instructable on the wiki page for printing
> Nylon.

The article makes a distinction between "nylon" and "trimmer line". By their own analysis they do not behave the same so they can't be chemically the same.

They state they tested two brands of trimmer line sold in the US. They don't tell you which ones so you can't repeat their experiment or "buy with confidence".

Is two brands enough of a comprehensive test? Were they the two biggest brands, two random brands or are they only telling you about the two that performed the best and that they intend to sell themselves?

They quote international standards for the maximum exposure to HCN. What does that actually mean? Does it mean for example that under those levels only 0.1% of lab rats died? What is 0.1% of active reprappers? Does it mean it is only safe at those levels for less than 30 minutes of exposure in a month for example? How many hours of exposure are you planning per month? It could be that the quoted max level is perfectly applicable for 3D printing but that important information is not contained in the article.

Finally please note their disclaimer at the end of the article.

Andy

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/18/2012 06:50AM by ajayre.

@ajayre
And neither can you really determine the long term effects of printing with other plastics, such as ABS or PLA. There are many different manufacturers, which all produce different products. All I am saying is that I feel reasonably safe using trimmer line which is similar to the products tested. I am by no means saying that there are no long term effects of breathing the fumes for extended periods of time in an enclosed area. I will still ventilate the room just like I would with ABS, and I won't be printing for long periods.

As for the HCN, you would have to look that up. They did say that a campfire produces much more HCN than a reprap. All of the tests were also done in a small enclosed area. By all means, go ahead and do a study yourself if you don't feel that the reward outweighs the risk.

your got to die oneway why not let it be while your doing something you love

you punch in and you punch out,
your gonna die from something and the chances are it wont be due to 3d printing,
Enjoy 3d printing while your still alive