Exposures during industrial 3-D printing and post-processing tasks
ISSN: 1355-2546
Article publication date: 26 June 2018
Issue publication date: 20 September 2018
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to measure exposures to airborne contaminants during three-dimensional (3-D) printing and post-processing tasks in an industrial workplace.
Design/methodology/approach
Contaminant concentrations were assessed using real-time particle number (0.007 to 1 µm) and total volatile organic compound (TVOC) monitors and thermal desorption tubes during various tasks at a manufacturing facility using fused deposition modeling (FDMTM) 3-D printers. Personal exposures were measured for two workers using nanoparticle respiratory deposition samplers for metals and passive badges for specific VOCs.
Findings
Opening industrial-scale FDMTM 3-D printer doors after printing, removing desktop FDMTM 3-D printer covers during printing, acetone vapor polishing (AVP) and chloroform vapor polishing (CVP) tasks all resulted in transient increases in levels of submicrometer-scale particles and/or organic vapors, a portion of which enter the workers’ breathing zone, resulting in exposure. Personal exposure to quantifiable levels of metals in particles <300 nm were 0.02 mg/m3 for aluminum, chromium, copper, iron and titanium during FDMTM printing. Personal exposures were 0.38 to 6.47 mg/m3 for acetone during AVP and 0.18 mg/m3 for chloroform during CVP.
Originality/value
Characterization of tasks provided insights on factors that influenced contaminant levels, and in turn exposures to various particles, metals < 300 nm and organic vapors. These concentration and exposure factors data are useful for identifying tasks and work processes to consider for implementation of new or improved control technologies to mitigate exposures in manufacturing facilities using FDMTM 3-D printers.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding for this project was provided by NIOSH (ARJ, RFL, ABS) and the South African Department of Science and Technology (SDP, SJLL, JDP). The authors declare no conflict of interest relating to the material presented in this article. Its contents, including any opinions and/or conclusions expressed, are solely those of the authors.
Citation
Du Preez, S., Johnson, A., LeBouf, R.F., Linde, S.J.L., Stefaniak, A.B. and Du Plessis, J. (2018), "Exposures during industrial 3-D printing and post-processing tasks", Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 24 No. 5, pp. 865-871. https://doi.org/10.1108/RPJ-03-2017-0050
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited