2. We visited the Maker Annex to…
…collect particle counts
when Brent was 3D
printing.
We wanted to check on the performance of our previously installed air
filtration equipment.
We blogged about the visit.
NOTE: This was not a formal, controlled test in any sense of the word.
3. About particle size….
Particle size is measured in relationship to a meter.
A micrometer, also referred to as a micron, is 1/1,000,000 of a meter; expressed as mm and μm.
Particles too-small for the micron scale, sometimes called ultra-fine particles [UFP], are measured using the nano scale or nanometers.
A single nanometer is 1/1,000,000,000 of a meter, expressed as nm.
3D printers produce particles in both scales.
4. Block diagram of measurement locations [asterisks]
3D printer
Sentry Air
Model 300
airflow
Ambient air, in room, near idle printer
82,800
particles 0.3 μm or larger, per sq ft
HEPA
Carbon
Laser cutter
Inside printer in operation
190,800
particles 0.3 μm
or larger, per sq ft
Filtered air exhaust,
outside fume extractor,
0
particles 0.3 μm
or larger, per sq ft
*
*
Model 300
air volume:
350 CFM High
50 CFM Low
*
5. 82,800 particles per cubic foot a few inches from the 3D printer’s exterior before the printer heated up.
82,800
190,800
190,800 particles per cubic foot inside the 3D printer cabinet while it was printing, fume extractor turned off.
Particle counter readings
0 particles per cubic foot, outside fume extractor, at the filtered air exhaust.
6. “HEPA filtration has been shown to be effective in capturing nanoscale particles and should be considered in situations where emissions may be regular, where processes are repeated, and where higher quantities are used in a way that may lead to emissions.”
page 58 NIOSH CIB 65
About HEPA filtration….
7. Ultrafine particle emissions from desktop 3D printers, by Brent Stephens, Parham Azimi, Zeineb El Orcha, Tiffanie Ramos Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, USA, National Institute of Applied Sciences (INSA de Lyon), Lyon, France http://bit.ly/11RTixO Nanotoxicology: An Emerging Discipline Evolving from Studies of Ultrafine Particles, Environ Health Perspect. 2005 July; 113(7): 823–839, by Günter Oberdörster, Eva Oberdörster, and Jan Oberdörster http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1257642/ CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN 65 ,DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Occupational Exposure to Carbon Nanotubes and Nanofibers http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2013-145/pdfs/2013-145.pdf
8. Sentry Air provides this information as courtesy to the Children’s Museum of Houston.
We are not industrial hygienists.
If you have concerns about air quality in the Maker Annex, we always recommend you discuss them with a certified
Industrial Hygienist.