HEPA Filtration system for Original i3 MK3S
Hi, has anybody made a HEPA filtration system for this printer? My bedroom has poor ventilation so I need to care about those toxic nanoparticles more.
RE: HEPA Filtration system for Original i3 MK3S
HEPA filtration alone will not remove VOCs that emanate from plastics, especially ABS. You'll need some sort of organic/carbon/charcoal scrubber to do that. As I stated in your other post, PLA doesn't give off much of anything, PETG a but of odor, ABS stinks enough I don't print with it. The particle sizes that seem associated with printing are too small for HEPA, too. Most just vent their enclosures outdoors through 3: or 4" ducting.
As for running the printer in your bedroom: they are noisy enough I would not recommend that.
RE: HEPA Filtration system for Original i3 MK3S
How noisy are they? If I close the door of my room, will I hear it? I thought in some review videos, it were quiet.
RE: HEPA Filtration system for Original i3 MK3S
Noise wise - my printer is in a room open to the TV room, and I can watch normal TV with it running; if it were in my bedroom, I would have a hard time falling asleep with the printer next to my bed. And since I do a lot of 20 to 200 hour prints - sharing a bedroom would be tough.
ps: if recollection serves, around 65dBA at 2 meters when I measured mine.
RE: HEPA Filtration system for Original i3 MK3S
So if I put it in the toilet, turn on the ventilation fan and close the door, I will still hear it from the outside of the toilet?
I live in a condo. The fume from the 3D printer won't activate the fire alarm. Am I right?
RE: HEPA Filtration system for Original i3 MK3S
I wouldn't put it in the toilet, the water treatment might be a bit harsh LMAO. But in the bathroom, the fan will be louder overall and drown the noise. But printer steppers have a unique buzz that if you listen for it you'll probably hear it. If you are a heavy sleeper, it may not bother you.
As for fumes in an apartment, printing ABS will probably excite your neighbors and they'll think you are cooking crack. PLA and PETG not so much; neighbors won't even know. But read up on ways to pad the printer. A stout table base, a rubber pad, a large paver stone; then the printer on top. This will help isolate the printer from the floor. If you are in some of the US apartment complexes like I've lived in, the neighbors might hear the buzz. I think I had a neighbor above me with a printer when I was building a house a few years back, it was pretty annoying.
RE: HEPA Filtration system for Original i3 MK3S
As a post script; You'll be fine as planned. Start with PLA, move to PETG, and see where it leads. Buy a filament pen ($50 or less) and try out the sample ABS they usually come with. If the stink doesn't offend you then try a small part in the MK3. If you have plans for printing Nylon and exotics and keep the condo association happy ... then you'll probably need to invest in an air cleaner. But they get expensive and have their own set of problems.
You'll need the ones with charcoal canisters to rid the air of the ABS smell. Though, you might be able to make something for cheaper. People have used aquarium charcoal to make canisters.
RE: HEPA Filtration system for Original i3 MK3S
As a post script; You'll be fine as planned. Start with PLA, move to PETG, and see where it leads. Buy a filament pen ($50 or less) and try out the sample ABS they usually come with. If the stink doesn't offend you then try a small part in the MK3. If you have plans for printing Nylon and exotics and keep the condo association happy ... then you'll probably need to invest in an air cleaner. But they get expensive and have their own set of problems.
You'll need the ones with charcoal canisters to rid the air of the ABS smell. Though, you might be able to make something for cheaper. People have used aquarium charcoal to make canisters.
Yes, I considered iQair a year ago but only the multi gas version could deal with "some" of those nano particles and the device is very expensive and big. Is it my best bet?
RE: HEPA Filtration system for Original i3 MK3S
I have used MakerBot 2, Up Plus 2 and the Stratasys uPrint SE over the past 7 or so years. Is the i3 MK3S noisier than these printers?
RE: HEPA Filtration system for Original i3 MK3S
No clue --- have never used anything but the MK3. It is getting noisier with age and firmware changes. e.g., Stealth used to be very quiet, now, I don't bother because with 3.7.1 firmware there is little change in absolute noise level : with 3.4 there was a 6dB drop in noise with Stealth selected.
But generally speaking, faster printing means more power to move things, more power means more noise.
Out of curiosity, what are these nano particles that you say FDM printing is giving off? I've never heard of any such a thing. Generally, you get gases or dust. Dust in FDM is usually due to mechanically feeding filament (extruder gears chomping into the filament), and this is rather large dust particles visible with the eye, and nothing to be concerned about becoming air borne. And then there are gases and volatiles given off from compounds evaporating from the heat of melting. Are you thinking of smoke-like particles, perhaps? I doubt the temps involved create any of those residuals. Since you've owned and used other printers, why the concern now you are buying a Prusa?
RE: HEPA Filtration system for Original i3 MK3S
Yeah, I'm also not convinced of these particles yet either; right now it just smells of fearmongering from people that want to sell me a very expensive filtration system. There are many, many other things in our environment that we breathe in on a daily basis on the same scale - pollens, soot/smog from automobiles, fine airborne dust, pet dander....
If you're really worried about them in an enclosed space, build an enclosure with an air cycle that vents to a window. Problem solved.
RE: HEPA Filtration system for Original i3 MK3S
Nothing like a closed cycle system with heat exchanger to keep the innards of an enclosure cool combined with a custom carbon pile to scrub the volatile organics in the process. Sounds like a really fun project ... lol. But seriously, you could start with a small dehumidifier modded to move the heat out of the system (doubles as a filament dryer, too! Bonus!) ... and add a carbon sink somewhere in the internal airflow, and a HEPA filter from the common larger room air cleaners. The combined unit size will be obtrusive, but it can solve all of the above problems. Done right, it might even be build in a way it would be "not too noisy" ... but that's what audiophile foam is for. Yeehaw! Another project is borne!!!
Planned right, this crazy idea might even fit in a double Lack table kit.... maybe not "that" obtrusive.
RE: HEPA Filtration system for Original i3 MK3S
No clue --- have never used anything but the MK3. It is getting noisier with age and firmware changes. e.g., Stealth used to be very quiet, now, I don't bother because with 3.7.1 firmware there is little change in absolute noise level : with 3.4 there was a 6dB drop in noise with Stealth selected.
But generally speaking, faster printing means more power to move things, more power means more noise.
Out of curiosity, what are these nano particles that you say FDM printing is giving off? I've never heard of any such a thing. Generally, you get gases or dust. Dust in FDM is usually due to mechanically feeding filament (extruder gears chomping into the filament), and this is rather large dust particles visible with the eye, and nothing to be concerned about becoming air borne. And then there are gases and volatiles given off from compounds evaporating from the heat of melting. Are you thinking of smoke-like particles, perhaps? I doubt the temps involved create any of those residuals. Since you've owned and used other printers, why the concern now you are buying a Prusa?
For examples, https://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/semiconductors/nanotechnology/nanoparticles-emitted-from-3d-printers-could-pose-a-risk
https://gizmodo.com/new-study-details-all-the-toxic-shit-spewed-out-by-3d-p-1830379464
Just search "3d printer toxic nanoparticle" and you will find those articles.
I was in charge of those printers in previous universities. Moved to a new workplace and they only have small printers that cannot be used for more than 1.5 hours.
RE: HEPA Filtration system for Original i3 MK3S
Okay. " The UFPs are, by definition, nanoparticles because their diameters are no larger than 10 nanometers. "
Using this notion, a HEPA filter reduces airborne particles larger than 0.3 microns (on a good day with a really expensive filter). Therefore, HEPA filtration is useless against particles that are at minimum 30 times smaller than the best HEPA efficiency spec. I.e., 0.010 microns vs 0.300 microns.
But here's the key statement in the article:
While PLA-generated UFPs have actually been shown to be biocompatible with mammals, previous studies have demonstrated that thermal decomposition byproducts from ABS processing have toxic effects in mice and rats.
If concerned, don't print ABS or exotics, or do some homework here: https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/639110O/3m-respirator-selection-guide.pdf?fn=Respirator%20Selection%20Guide%20Final