AAAR 34th Annual Conference
October 12 - October 16, 2015
Hyatt Regency
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
Volatile Organic Compounds and Aerosol Emissions from a Low-Cost Desktop 3-D Printer
JUN WANG, Evan Floyd, James Regens, University of Oklahoma
Abstract Number: 505 Working Group: Indoor Aerosols
Abstract 3-D printing is an additive fabrication and replication technology. The 3-D printing process involves injection of melted filament material, mostly thermoplastic polymer. The injected material is laid down in different layers to achieve a pre-designed shape. The heat-assisted deposition process raises concern on potential volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and aerosol emission and exposure. In recent years, the cost of desktop 3-D printer were significantly lowered, and more applications were found in small business and garage projects, where sufficient ventilation and personal respiratory protection often lack. Meanwhile, little was known about 3-D printing fume from emerging types of filaments. The goal of this study was to characterize VOCs and aerosol generated from a low-cost 3-D printer with various new filaments. A 3-D printer was set in an environmental chamber. The printer printed out a pre-designed object using eight different types of filaments. Real-time VOC concentration was recorded by a photo-ionization detector. Fume samples were collected onto absorbent and subsequently analyzed by a thermodesorption gas chromatograph mass spectrometer. Scanning mobility particle sizer and aerodynamic particle spectrometer were employed to measure the particle size distribution from fine (16.8 nm) to coarse (20 µm) range. The results showed an average VOC generation rate of 25.3±3.6 µl/min. Speciated VOC information was acquired: ABS-based polymers produced mostly styrene, while acrylic acid dimers are the predominant products from PLA-based polymers. Time-resolved particle size distribution indicated high concentration (~10E7) of nanoparticles (geometric mean size from 41~83 nm) were formed during the initial heating and printing stages, then the particle concentration dropped following a first-order decay. The coarse particle shows a similar trend at much lower concentration (~10E4). Overall, the information extracted is essential to the 3-D printer development. Fume hood is recommended for ABS-based 3-D printing jobs, since they emitted higher concentration of toxins.