An update on my 3D printer experience, and a fair warning to others.....
I am not going to keep printing anything, even PLA, until I hook up an exhaust to outside at a minimum.
I have installed a HEPA/Carbon filter on the exhaust, and only printed PLA thus far, and I still get these side effects. PLA is supposed to be the safest filament to print.
It has been giving us mild headaches and making peoples throats a little strange, like you need to hack up something, it feels like something but nothing you can observe ever comes out, this is with the HEPA filter that supposedly filters over 99% of particles.
I shut it off for a few days and everything went away, then I start printing again and the symptoms come back. Something feels very unhealthy with this stuff. I moved the 3D print setup to the opposite corner upstairs, so I can exhaust it outside. However, not sure if the wife will let me cut a hole in the wall.
If so it may go in the shop and I will cut a hole in the wall there. If I do that, I may put it in an external enclosure, and exhaust that outside. Because Exhaust only the printer exhaust outside won't work when that's off such as with ABS, ASA, PC, PPA, PPS or any other high temp material where the chamber is closed and heated. It also won't work with filament drying as its external to the printer. The printer is not sealed, which is why I haven't printed any of those materials yet even though I have a need and they are sitting there, I am afraid to breathe the much worse fumes, or worse, let my kids breathe the fumes.
This additional enclosure method would also allow anything emitted during filament drying to go outside, I could also prefilter some of the fumes. However, it will take more HVAC energy any time you exhaust something outside while the heat (or AC if you have it) is on.
Here is a link to two options for HEPA filters.
Purchase, or print one...
These guys sell them for multiple printers, just find the one you need.
3D printer upgrades for Bambu Lab P1P, P1S, P2S, X1C, H2D, H2C, H2S, A1, and A1 mini. 3D printer 2-stage HEPA and Activated filter, and anti-vibration feet. All at an affordable price. Free shipping and bulk discounts available.
voxelpla.com
Or print one of these if you have the Bambu H2 series...then buy the filters. I'm sure you can find similar on makerworld for your printer.
Keep in mind, in my experience, this is not enough, you still get harmful fumes and particles that get out elsewhere, such as purging, etc. The factory enclosure is not sealed, it has other vents in the back. It definitely reduces them.
I have several ideas to exit through a dryer vent on the outside wall, add an external fan, remove one of the flaps for the factory external fan and use that at low, maybe 10 - 20% during heated chamber materials, but I would need to add a blocker for the top vent as that automatically opens any time you turn the exhaust fan on and you shouldn't do that with a heated chamber, you just want to create a tiny negative pressure so fumes go out the exhaust and not anywhere else. If you draw in so much air the internal temp drops it can cause quality issues.
I think the ideal thing is to put a HEPA filter on the exhaust, then put the entire 3D printer setup, it in its own separate enclosure (or room), along with the AMS, filament dryers, etc, and vent that entire enclosure outside. You can have a smaller entry than exit to create a small negative pressure in that entire enclosure. You could also filter the inlet o keep the 3D printer itself cleaner. You could even go as far as routing the entry and exit through an exchanger to reclaim some of the lost HVAC energy you are pumping out.
weldmetalsonline.com
