3 ms·

We just finished an independent survey of 5 consumer level machines with a bunch of different materials, looking at both 10-500nm particulate and HCN emissions.

by msds 11y ago

We just finished an independent survey of 5 consumer level machines with a bunch of different materials, looking at both 10-500nm particulate and HCN emissions. Essentially, even with ABS, if you're in a decently well ventilated area, you're fine, and if you're still worried, PLA or TPU drastically reduce particulate. I'd really love to share the paper right now, but it's someone else's masters thesis that hasn't been released yet. If anyone is interested in it and can remember, ping me in a few months?

pen2l 11y ago
Cool. May I ask, which printers did you test? Makerbot, lulzbot, ultimaker, zortrax, prusa?
- msds 11y ago
  Flashforge creator pros and ultimakers.
smoyer 11y ago
That's a great nickname here if you're business is that kind of testing. Do the spools of plastic used in these printers typically ship with the appropriate MSDS? I'm only familiar with the plastic "pellets" that are used in injection molding plants. There are definitely MSDS posted in the plastics store-room (and obviously the machines are very well vented).
- msds 11y ago
  None of the standard vendors we use actually ship the MSDS, but most do supply it online. I'm not in that business, but I do deal with various safety concerns quite a bit. When faced with basic tools, the average person tends to have a terrifying combination of inventiveness and stupidity...
  - jacquesm 11y ago
    The absolute world record holder: friend of mine was low on money and needed a chop saw. He figured one motor is as good as another and managed to disassemble his vacuum cleaner and hook up the blade to the motor. It seems that those 'max RPM' warnings on circular saw blades actually do have some relevance and the blade fragments embedded over 1" in the doorframe were proof that making a proper chop saw requires a motor with less RPM than a vacuum cleaner. It's a miracle nobody died.
tamana 11y ago
Masters candidates are afraid of posting to arxiv?

by msds 11y ago

pen2l 11y ago

Cool. May I ask, which printers did you test? Makerbot, lulzbot, ultimaker, zortrax, prusa?

msds 11y ago
Flashforge creator pros and ultimakers.

smoyer 11y ago

That's a great nickname here if you're business is that kind of testing. Do the spools of plastic used in these printers typically ship with the appropriate MSDS? I'm only familiar with the plastic "pellets" that are used in injection molding plants. There are definitely MSDS posted in the plastics store-room (and obviously the machines are very well vented).

msds 11y ago
None of the standard vendors we use actually ship the MSDS, but most do supply it online. I'm not in that business, but I do deal with various safety concerns quite a bit. When faced with basic tools, the average person tends to have a terrifying combination of inventiveness and stupidity...
- jacquesm 11y ago
  The absolute world record holder: friend of mine was low on money and needed a chop saw. He figured one motor is as good as another and managed to disassemble his vacuum cleaner and hook up the blade to the motor. It seems that those 'max RPM' warnings on circular saw blades actually do have some relevance and the blade fragments embedded over 1" in the doorframe were proof that making a proper chop saw requires a motor with less RPM than a vacuum cleaner. It's a miracle nobody died.

tamana 11y ago

Masters candidates are afraid of posting to arxiv?