The U of MN College of Design has a
DigiFabLab 3D printing lab that opened on October 14, 2011.
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Consumer Grade 3-D printers produce ultrafine nano particles. According to a July 25, 2013 article by
Nicole Bogart, Global News the hazards posed by the ultrafine particles are similar to those posed by cooking, scented candles and possibly cigarette smoke.
Michael Molitch-Hou 3D Printing industry July 29, 2013 reports on a French study that notes an increase in the number of ultrafine particles during the operation of multiple 3D printers in one room. The particle generation is similar to that noted during cooking. The toxicity of the particles is not known. The authors recommend local exhaust ventilation. A chart of the ultrafine particle production is listed below.
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Sentry Air Systems provides a good background into the toxicity of 3-D printing. (ABS or PLA)
The primary chemicals used in ABS 3-D printing are Acrylonitrile, Butadiene and Styrene. These chemicals have relatively low exposure limits ranging from 1 to 50 ppm averaged over 8 hours and 10 ppm for a 15 minute short term exposure limit for Acrylonitrile.
For information on
PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) - Wikipedia - The material is good for containing materials at room temperature. It will melt if used for hot beverages.
Nano particle production (
physics.org - 2013) : Illinois Institute of Technology researchers
PLA - lower temperature 20 billion nanoparticles per minute
ABS - higher temperature 200 billion nanoparticles per minute.
From this information it would be prudent to use local exhaust ventilation for 3D printers using ABS and HEPA filtration for PLA.
