3D Printers and ventilation?

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

I'm planning on getting a printer, resin and filament, eventually. I keep hearing about how they need to be well ventilated. Are we talking, like spray painting where you can leave a window open or full hazmat? I know some people are overly serious about painting (beyond spray booth, ventilation) so I'm not sure if some people are being alarmists or if it's that bad. I really don't want to have to have them in my garage, because in OH we get up to 100F and lower than 0F. I'd be afraid the machines would be damaged by the temp changes. Also a LOT of humidity in the summer.

 

[TazMan2000]

Humidity and any type of printer don't mix well. Ventilation is more important for resin printers. Opening a window should be fine, but you don't want it to get cold, as both types of printers work well in warmer environments, resin printers more so. You can lessen your exposure to resin fumes by returning the resin back into the bottle when finished printing.

TazMan2000

 

[Clerval]

Ventilation for them is no joke... there's a reason why there are filter and extraction systems for them. Each will put out harmful byproducts when printing... the heat will actually help with the fdm printer, but yeah, sounds like you'll want to think in terms of 'seasonal' use of them if you can, makes things go easier in more extreme conditions. Fume extraction, wash, and cure are a big part of the resin experience. Getting the most out of the FDM head or dual waits for you on that side. ;-)

As you narrow down your printer choices, let those choices drive what safety you put in place, but don't get cheap. You also may find that they tax your electrical, so be certain of that before you make your final decision on their locations.

 

[chazzychaz]

So a low humidy environment like high desert in Idaho would be good. Garage corner seems best, mean temp most of the year is 84 to 99 except of course december thru april. I am looking at getting a resin printer and making a IR cabinet. Creality or Anycubic?

 

[joberg]

When using spray-paints, whether oil based or water based, the port of a mask, and ventilation are always a must (can you say Fine particulate in you lungs) and I'm not talking about the solvents involved Same with 3-D printers. It seems that, the first thing on your agenda should be the insolation of your work space (garage). Those temps variations/humidity aren't conducive to good printing or for the regular functions of the printer itself.

 

[3Dsf]

Yeah, when I built my garden office/hobby space one thing I did was to position a space for a ventilation hole and a super-quiet bathroom fan. That fan is built into the soundproofed (well, lined with acoustic foam) kitchen cabinet that sits in the corner and houses my resin printer. When I print, the fan goes on and stays on.

Printing takes a long time, and thus requires continual ventilation. It's not like casual spray painting or whatever, when you might spend a few minutes here or there painting.

You can get carbon filter contraptions for printers, but I really don't see the point - blow all that crap out of the room, I say.

 

[CosmicQuest]

I have been using the Sirayatech simple resin which is water washable and very low odor. I use it in my apartment and you wouldn't even know there is anything in the vat. I think for this resin, one of the big downsides however is that it's pretty brittle. Great for model pieces that won't get a lot of use, but something to keep in mind for sure.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

I guess I'll skip it for now then. I will have to figure out some way to vent a room. I have a spray booth for paint, which is very large, but wouldn't be large enough for a printer.

 

[Astyanax]

I guess I'll skip it for now then. I will have to figure out some way to vent a room. I have a spray booth for paint, which is very large, but wouldn't be large enough for a printer.

If you have a vented spray booth, you're halfway there. Just tee off that hose to the printer. Many resin printers have a removable vent cover for just such a purpose.

Alternatively, you could set up the Mars Mate air purifier next to the printer; that's what I do. And then if you also use water-washable resin, I think you can keep the fumes down to a minimum. I use the Mars Mate in my garage, and I feel it works pretty well!

Send me some pics of your setup, I'm curious!

 

[3Dsf]

Personally I wouldn't skip it. As relatively new tech, we don't have much data on long-term exposure to fumes. But, based on what our species has learned over the years, I can't imagine that even fumes we can't smell are going to have a particularly positive health benefit!

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

If you have a vented spray booth, you're halfway there. Just tee off that hose to the printer. Many resin printers have a removable vent cover for just such a purpose.

Alternatively, you could set up the Mars Mate air purifier next to the printer; that's what I do. And then if you also use water-washable resin, I think you can keep the fumes down to a minimum. I use the Mars Mate in my garage, and I feel it works pretty well!

Send me some pics of your setup, I'm curious!

Yeah now that I thought about it today, I figured I could pull the hood off and set it up vertically in an enclosure to vent it out the window. I have this Artograph booth like this: Amazon.com That booth has a pretty strong blower with double ducts out. It will probably be a while for the resin printer. My mom is getting my nephew a filament printer soon for his birthday, so I said he gets it on the condition that I can use it.

 

[masterjedi322]

I guess I'll skip it for now then. I will have to figure out some way to vent a room. I have a spray booth for paint, which is very large, but wouldn't be large enough for a printer.

How do you vent the spray booth?

If you already have an existing venting part, you can add some T or Y junctions in the ductwork and vent them out the same path.

This is what I did in my shop:

To help with the air flow, I picked up one of these grow fans from Amazon. They have different models depending on how much you want to spend. I went with this one as it has a digital controller with temp sensor and a mobile app : VIVOSUN AeroZesh T4 Inline Duct Fan, Quiet 4" 210 CFM Ventilation Exhaust Fan w/EC Motor and GrowHub E42A Temperature Humidity WiFi-Controller Amazon.com

Lastly, I whipped up some custom vent hoods in CAD that fit over my printer exhausts. Added some magnets, and they slap right over the printer’s exhaust:

Even with the fan on low, I don’t notice any more sticky resin smell.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Sean

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

I just set it up near the window and have vents I can crack the window and slide the window to hold them. So I think that will work.

 

[masterjedi322]

I just set it up near the window and have vents I can crack the window and slide the window to hold them. So I think that will work.

I had something similar in my old house. I cut a piece of plywood to fit in the window opening, drilled some holes, and connected some dryer duct tubing to it. I ran the other end to my spray booth.

So when I painted, I cracked the window and inserted the plywood to vent. Same thing could work for a printer and it would give you the flexibility to put the printer somewhere not adjacent to the window so you avoid any temperature affects on the printer.

Sean