Nanocluster Aerosol Emissions of a 3D Printer

Abstract

Many studies exist that characterize the aerosol emissions from fused filament fabrication three-dimensional (3D) printers. However, nanocluster aerosol (NCA) particles, that is particles in a size range under 3 nm, are rarely studied. The purpose of this study was to characterize the NCA emissions and the contribution of NCA to the total particle number emissions from a 3D printer. We used a particle size magnifier and a scanning mobility particle sizer to measure the time evolution of particle size distribution, which was used to calculate the average NCA emission rates during a printer operation in a chamber. The NCA emission rates ranged from 1.4 × 10 6 to 7.3 × 10 9 s −1 depending on the applied combination of filament material and nozzle temperature, showing increasing emission with increasing temperature. The NCA emissions constitute from 9 to 48% of the total emissions, that is, almost half of the particle emissions may have been previously neglected. Therefore, it is essential to include the low NCA size range in, for example, future 3D-printer-testing protocols, emission measurement standards, and risk management measures.

Estimates of particulate matter inhalation doses during three‐dimensional printing

“…Each individual filament has optimum extruder conditions, and a bias can occur if all filaments are printed under the same temperature conditions 18,30 . At a higher printing temperature (>200°C), more particulate matter is generated 7,18,20,30 . To avoid the bias caused by operating under the same conditions for all filaments, we set the extruder to operate over a range of manufacturer‐recommended temperatures (from 190 to 265°C) for each material (Table 1).…”

“…18,30 At a higher printing temperature (>200°C), more particulate matter is generated. 7,18,20,30 To avoid the bias caused by operating under the same conditions for all filaments, we set the extruder to operate over a range of manufacturer-recommended temperatures (from 190 to 265°C) for each material (Table 1).…”

“…Fused deposition modeling is the most widely used technique for entry‐level 3D printing. In this technique, a thermoplastic filament is heated to a semi‐liquid state and then deposited on a heating bed, layer by layer, to construct 3D objects 6‐8 …”

“…In this technique, a thermoplastic filament is heated to a semi-liquid state and then deposited on a heating bed, layer by layer, to construct 3D objects. [6][7][8] Various printing materials, such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polylactic acid (PLA), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and nylon, are commonly used in 3D printing, with ABS and PLA being the…”

Optimization of Extrusion-Based 3D Printing Process Using Neural Networks for Sustainable Development

“…Even a 40-min 3D print can produce a harmful dose [ 45 ]. Aerosol emissions from nanoclusters (NCA) can account for 9–48% of total emissions, so up to half of particulate emissions may have been previously overlooked [ 46 ]. Diffusivity and extrusion rate are considered the most important variables in predicting environmental concentrations in the near field [ 47 ].…”