3D printers have been exposed as
emitters of ultrafine particles (UFP’s) and potentially carcinogenic volatile
organic compounds (VOC’s). [1] UFP’s are
detrimental for human health because their small size allows them to travel through
air-ways and deposit in the lungs, eventually making their way into the
bloodstream. For this reason, some
commercially available 3D printers are equipped with recirculating air filters
such as the AFINIA-H800 printers in Drexel’s innovation studio. Using novel technology in the Efficient
Time of Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (EPToF-AMS), a detailed emission study
is presented that highlights particle size distribution, chemical composition,
and concentration for two types of 3D printer plastic filaments. [2] Furthermore,
this study analyzes the effectiveness of the recirculating air filters through
the comparison of size distributions.
EPToF-AMS particle size distributions were supported by Scanning
Mobility Particle Sizing (SMPS) distributions and Transmission Electron
Microscopy (TEM) images of the emitted particles.
[1] Azimi, P.; Zhao, D.; Pouzet, C.; Crain, N. E.; Stephens, B., Emissions of Ultrafine Particles and Volatile Organic Compounds from Commercially Available Desktop Three-Dimensional Printers with Multiple Filaments. Environ Sci Technol 2016, 50 (3), 1260-8.
[2] Campuzano, J. P.; Jimenez, J. L.; Kimmel, J. R.; Day, D. A.; Hu, W.; Sueper, D.; Knochenmuss, R.; Worsnop, D. R.; Jayne, J. T., Particle Time-of-Flight by Hadamard Transform (ePToF): A new high-duty-cycle approach to size-segregated and total aerosol mass measurements for the Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer. American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2014, 2014.
[1] Azimi, P.; Zhao, D.; Pouzet, C.; Crain, N. E.; Stephens, B., Emissions of Ultrafine Particles and Volatile Organic Compounds from Commercially Available Desktop Three-Dimensional Printers with Multiple Filaments. Environ Sci Technol 2016, 50 (3), 1260-8.
[2] Campuzano, J. P.; Jimenez, J. L.; Kimmel, J. R.; Day, D. A.; Hu, W.; Sueper, D.; Knochenmuss, R.; Worsnop, D. R.; Jayne, J. T., Particle Time-of-Flight by Hadamard Transform (ePToF): A new high-duty-cycle approach to size-segregated and total aerosol mass measurements for the Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer. American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2014, 2014.