Characterization and Exposure Assessment of Odor Emissions from Laser Cutting of Plastics in the Optical Film Industry

Chan, Yun-Jung; Yuan, Tzu-Hsuen; Sun, Hui-Chu; Lin, Tsair Fuh

doi:10.4209/aaqr.2016.04.0136

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…For example, the laser cutting process generated vapors which are disturbing for the workers involved in the process. Moreover, when using high power lasers without adequate protective measures (masks, local and forced ventilation) workers are exposed to toxicity values exceeding the safe values defined in industrial standards [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of electrical equipment on the power factor

Spunei,

Piroi,

Piroi

2024

J. Phys.: Conf. Ser.

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A large proportion of electricity consumers alter the electricity quality through the equipment they use. The alteration is caused by a drop in the power factor, which leads to additional losses in the power grid and additional reactive power costs. In order to identify the consumers’ electrical equipment that alter the power factor, we monitor their electricity use in a production hall looking at the variation of the effective average values of voltages, currents, powers and power factor. The analysis of these records gives us the difference between the power factor and cos φ (the phase difference between phase voltage and phase current in single-phase operation). Our monitoring shows, at the same time, the necessity of an individual analysis of each electrical equipment in the production hall under observation, as well the necessity to locally compensate the power factor.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of electrical equipment on the power factor

Spunei,

Piroi,

Piroi

2024

J. Phys.: Conf. Ser.

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“…The powder particle size used ranges between 50 and 100 µm for EBM and 15 to 45 µm for SLM, incurring multiple occupational health risks, such as respiratory problems and explosions for smallsized particles [20]. Today, all Fab Labs are equipped with laser cutters that generate inhalable small-size particulates, VOCs, and other gases including formaldehyde, which is recognized as toxic when inhaled [21]. Finally, the type of emission highly depends on technical and contextual factors, such as the type of laser machine used, the associated laser patterns, the laser wavelength, or the media components [22].…”

Section: Introduction Of Am Technologies and The Consequences Of Air ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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

2022

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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.

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“…Generally, these particles are ultrafine agglomerates/aggregates of condensates. The detailed characterisation of particles formed during laser cutting is reported from cutting plastic [ 12 ] and composite materials [ 13 ]. The particle concentration and size distribution of the particles have been studied in the workroom air in relation to the laser cutting of metal sheets, but the concentrations in the study were influenced by other sources, such as trucks driving past the sampling equipment [ 14 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterisation of Particles Emitted during Laser Cutting of Various Metal Sheets and an Exposure Assessment for the Laser Operators

Hammer

Halvorsen

Graff

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Laser cutting is used in many industrial settings to achieve precise cuts of metal sheets. Laser operators may be exposed to particles formed during cutting when opening the cabinet or when metal sheets are exchanged. To characterise the potential exposure, particles formed during laser cutting were studied with scanning electron microscopy equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray detector and an energy backscatter diffraction detector. The total concentration of particles (11–615 nm) was determined online with a scanning mobility particle sizer. The chemical composition of the particles formed during the cutting of the different metal sheets was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). X-ray diffraction was applied to determine the phase composition. The occupational exposure was assessed gravimetrically and by ICP-MS for five laser operators handling different laser cutters, and materials and were found to be low. Agglomerates and aggregates of condensation particles were formed during laser cutting, independent of the sheet type. Iron, present as both magnetite and α-Fe, was the main element found in the particles formed when cutting steel sheets. The size of the particles generated was mainly below 300 nm. Open laser cutters may lead to higher metal exposures, which is especially relevant when cutting metal sheets containing heavy metals.

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Characterization and Exposure Assessment of Odor Emissions from Laser Cutting of Plastics in the Optical Film Industry

Cited by 7 publications

References 28 publications

Impact of electrical equipment on the power factor

Impact of electrical equipment on the power factor

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

Characterisation of Particles Emitted during Laser Cutting of Various Metal Sheets and an Exposure Assessment for the Laser Operators

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