EPA Highlights Work for CPSC on 3D Printer Emissions

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) September 10 described three findings from a study that considered additives in 3D printer emissions. It is doing the work for CPSC. EPA said (bit.ly/2lI4IqT) that more work will be required due to problems measuring certain particulates.

The work goes beyond simply looking at off-gassing during printing; it considers how those gases change when carbon nanotubes are added to the process and concerns about health and safety. The three findings involved:

• Addition of carbon nanotubes was linked to emission of two volatile organic compounds (VOCs) not found in the controls (no nanotube addition).

 

• Higher temperature was linked to higher VOC emission. Longer heating time also was a contributing factor.

 

• VOCs can be trapped in emitted particulates, but measuring them is hard. This is where more research is needed.

EPA wrote:

"Understanding the printing parameters that have the greatest influence on VOC emissions in a variety of filaments can lead to printer designs that better limit exposure concerns to users. As a result of the information gathered during this experiment, EPA and CPSC will continue using [the] methodology to investigate other popular filament additives and their possible effects on 3D printer emissions."