AAAR 36th Annual Conference October 16 - October 20, 2017 Raleigh Convention Center Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Abstract View
Investigations into the Composition of Aerosols Emitted by 3D Printing Process
MARINA VANCE, Zachary Linden, David Pfotenhauer, Michael Hannigan, University of Colorado Boulder
Abstract Number: 593 Working Group: Indoor Aerosols
Abstract 3D printers are becoming increasingly popular in home and office applications, ranging from hobbyist projects to high-precision industrial manufacturing. Within 3D printing, the fuse-deposition modeling process (FDM) is most popular. It consists of extruding a polymeric filament through a heated nozzle while this nozzle moves over a platform to create a 3D object. This heating process has become known for emitting small aerosols and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). While aerosol emission rates and size distributions, as well as prevalent VOC species have been reported in the literature, little in-depth research has been conducted on the composition of aerosols and their potential emission mechanisms. The objective of this ongoing work is to further elucidate the heat-driven process that leads to the generation of ultrafine aerosols during 3d printing. Experiments are currently being conducted using a Lulzbot TAZ 6 desktop 3D printer, placed in a 500-l chamber, using different extrusion temperatures and a variety of polymeric filaments. Aerosol emissions are being characterized using a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS, TSI, Inc.). Aerosols are also collected on quartz-fiber filters and subsequently extracted and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Filter samples are also analyzed for elemental carbon and organic carbon ratios (EC/OC, Sunset Laboratory Inc.). Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are being sampled using sorbent cartridges and analyzed by Thermal Desorption Gas Chromatography that is equipped with both a Mass Spectrometer and Flame Ionization Detector (GC-MS/FID) that is run using EPA Method TO-17. Results will help elucidate the thermal degradation process that leads to VOC and ultrafine aerosol emissions in indoor environments. This understanding can lead to insights into the potential toxicity of emissions and may help guide the development of lower-emission feedstocks.