Safety in additive manufacturing
While 3D printing with various filaments, such as ABS or PC, volatile organic compounds in the form of ultrafine particles (UFP) and gases are created during the extrusion process. If the Printer is not equipped with an enclosure, These particles are emitted in the workspace during use. The UFPs produced usually have a diameter in nanometer range. If those particles were inhaled by a person who operates a 3D printer, it could cause serious health concerns.
In order to counteract and to ensure the health of the Printinue 3D printers operators, each printer should be equipped with a multi-part filter system.
The first part of the filter unit contains a HEPA filter, which filters UFP with a diameter of 1 μm up to 1 nm with a reliability of over 99.9 % and thus ensures that no harmful particles are emitted into the workspace.
The second part of the filter unit consists of a carbon filter. It filters particles and gas molecules with a diameter of 2 nm up to 0.1 nm and thus also eliminates unpleasant odors, which would otherwise leak from the printer enclosure.
To complete the filter system, a powerful 24 V centrifugal fan is installed in the Printinue 3D printers, which can achieve a maximum pressure of 1280 Pa. This not only ensures that the UFPs and gases produced during the extrusion are reliably absorbed by the filter unit, but also that the gases and UFPs do not escape the printer enclosure.