Finally, an Official Guide to 3D Printing Safety
Everything a school, library, print lab, or business needs to know about operating 3D printers as safely as possible.
If you 3D print, you know there are fumes to avoid and other hazards to be wary of, but there has always been a lack of “official” guidance, like the kind a school or business could refer to when establishing a printer lab policy or even when purchasing printers.
Now, the folks at Chemical Insights, a research institute of Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the global safety science company that specializes in product safety testing and standards development, just issued a comprehensive guide on 3D printing safety it developed with the Campus Safety, Health, and Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA).
Although the guide targets the use of 3D printing at universities and within student labs and housing, it’s applicable to anyone looking to buy a printer and print safely. In fact, “UL 200B: Guidance Document for Safe Use of 3D Printing for Institutions of Higher Education” covers virtually all of the best practices for safety, and many you may never have thought of.
Guidelines for Safe 3D Printing
You may already know that 3D printing resin is flammable, but did you know that using too much glue on a heated bed is also a potential fire hazard? UL and CSHEMA gathered hundreds of tips and advice from a wide audience of university lab engineers and research institutes worldwide. The easy-to-navigate guide is organized into sections by technology, along with advice on purchasing, maintenance, and risk management.
It’s really a must-have guide for any organization or business that wants to establish a safe 3D printing environment and educate users on the safe operation of 3D printers. Recommendations in the document focus on smaller 3D printing units that involve material extrusion or vat photopolymerization (i.e., resin), but the majority of tips and advice are universal to any 3D printing technology.
Here are a few of our top picks from the guide’s advice.
- If the printer malfunctions, stop the print job but let the printer cool and emissions dissipate before troubleshooting or restarting.
- Clean any surfaces that have been exposed to resin with window cleaner or a denatured or isopropyl alcohol, followed by washing with soap and water.
- Wear appropriate cut-resistant gloves when scraping the build plate or removing support materials with tools.
- Do not pour used, uncured resin back into new resin bottles.
- 3D printers should be listed or labeled by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) to meet electrical safety and fire codes.
Tips for Where to Locate Your Printers
Indoor air quality around 3D printers is often a misunderstood risk. The UL research found that many 3D printers are operated in college dorm rooms, which typically don’t provide the necessary ventilation.
“The first choice for the location of 3D printing activities should be in spaces with dedicated ventilation,” the guide notes, since 3D printers have been shown to emit ultrafine particles (UFPs) and a complex mixture of organic volatile compounds (VOCs) when operating.
Examples of dedicated ventilation controls could include single-unit local exhaust ventilation systems (fume hoods), snorkel fume extractors, or for situations where multiple printers are used, operating 3D printers within enclosed ventilated racks that exhaust to the outdoors.
Members of the task force that developed the guide found that many universities are now prohibiting the use of 3D printers in residence halls because of fire and indoor air quality risks.
Because there are no regulated standards for acceptable indoor air pollutant levels in non-industrial environments, such as homes, offices, and schools, the guide is a great reference detailing the recommended exposure limits and odor thresholds for common air pollutants in environments.
“The publication of UL 200B empowers professionals by providing and encouraging best practices for safe use and managing safety and health considerations to maximize the benefits and innovative potential of 3D printing on campuses. UL 200B offers important risk management tools for campus EHS professionals,” says Beth Welmaker, president of CSHEMA and executive director of environmental health and safety at Nova Southeastern University.
The full guide can be found here: