3D Printing and Air Quality

I’ve been a 3D printing hobbyist since May 2023. The ability to download or even make my own models and 3D print them into physical objects has been fascinating to me. I was so enthralled by this technology that I had only more recently started to seriously contemplate the potential health risks related to 3D printing. Unlike certain activities such as driving a car, skiing, and scuba diving where there are obvious risks for adverse health outcomes, the hidden risk of 3D printing is related to long-term exposure of aerosolized plastic byproducts of the 3D printing process.

A review article entitled “Summary and derived Risk Assessment of 3D printing emission studies” provides a summary of 50 studies related to 3D printing emissions and is the most recent comprehensive analysis I’ve seen. The following figure illustrates the particle formation process in which heating of filament results in the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and when the VOCs cool, they form small particles or condensate onto other existing particles.

What can be done to reduce health risks relate to 3D printing emissions? The following figure summarizes methods that have been studied and published and categorizes them into methods that reduce risk of emissions (on the left) and methods that are inconclusive.

The methods that have been demonstrated to reduce risk of emissions include:

• Lower print temperature
• PLA instead of ABS
• Larger room volume
• Higher air exchange rate
• Avoiding malfunctions
• Using a cover

It seems to me that the long-term health risks of 3D printing emissions are still not completely understood. The popularity of consumer 3D printing is rising, especially given the advances by 3D printer manufacturers related to ease of use, so more studies of long-term outcomes related to exposure of 3D printing emissions is warranted. Meanwhile, I think we must assume that we could be doing more to protect ourselves from emissions.

I have had 2 bedslinger 3D printers: a Creality Ender-3 V2 Neo and now a Bambu Lab A1 Combo. Neither one has an enclosure or filtration system to combat filament emissions, and I’ve used both 3D printers in my living room. I’ve always printed with PLA because of its popularity, low cost, and multiple colors available. It is merely by coincidence that it has the lowest emissions of all filament types, but that is certainly a driving force for me to stay with PLA. A few months ago, I placed an air filter next to my 3D printer (as pictured at the top of this post). My air filter has both a HEPA filter that is supposed to trap airborne particles and an activated carbon pre-filter that is supposed to trap VOCs.

As you can see, my setup is suboptimal because of the lack of an enclosure, so despite the presence of the air filter in proximity to the nozzle, it is probably only trapping a fraction of all the emissions, at least initially. Therefore, my general routine when using my 3D printer is to run the air filter on its highest air exchange rate setting while printing, open windows in the living room if outdoor weather permits, and leave the air filter running for a while after the print is completed. I’m open to suggestions related to further reducing exposure to 3D printing emissions.

Bambu Lab Warranty

Image credit: https://rasterweb.net/raster/2015/03/15/3d-printer-malfunction/

As I mentioned previously, my Bambu Lab A1 experienced a Heatbed Temperature Malfunction which resulted in me getting a replacement A1 Combo. A replacement was offered because my printer was still under warranty, and the warranty is the topic of this blog post. The current Warranty Statement is dated October 12, 2024, and there are general provisions that ask you to keep all of the documentation related to your purchase:

It also says to keep your original packaging box and materials in case you need to return your device:

There is a 14-day Return and Refund Policy which in my opinion is kind of short, but at least there is a policy.

The Replacement Policy is slightly more generous, as you have 30 days:

I was fortunate to have reported my Heatbed Temperature Malfunction to Bambu Lab Customer Support on day 29 after receipt of my A1 Combo, and therefore I was eligible for either replacement or troubleshooting support.

I shipped the defective device to Bambu Lab on 10/15/2024, and I received my replacement A1 Combo 2 weeks later on 10/29/2024. I’ve printed several models with my replacement A1 Combo, and everything seems to be working fine.

Out of curiosity, I asked Bambu Lab Customer Support if I’d get another 30 days from time of receipt of my replacement device to exchange my product if it too was defective, and the response I received was that the replacement device does not come with a new 30-day replacement window.

First of all, I hope that I don’t experience any more issues with my replacement A1 Combo. Second, if I do experience errors related to the hardware, I hope that the customer support agent who replied to my inquiry is incorrect about replacement printers not having a new replacement window. I hope I will never need to find out, but if you have any experiences to share about issues arising from your replacement Bambu Lab devices, please leave a comment. Happy 3D printing everyone!