Lately I’ve been printing quite a bit of ABS. Didn’t really think much about it at first, but after a few longer jobs the room just feels… not great.
Smell sticks around more than I expected, and the air feels a bit heavy/stuffy.
Anyone else dealing with this? What did you do about it?
ABS fumes are considered toxic by a lot of people and they just stink by the rest. It is best to print with it:
long term exposure maybe/is bad for you
All 3d plastic printing is looking like it will be bad. The micro plastics cause all kinds of mayhem in your body. If you eat or breath them it does the same thing. ABS (any material with Styrene for that mater ASA ABS ect) add VOCS. All printers should be enclosed and filtered. manufacturers ae starting to recognize this and build enclosed hepa filtered printers or external (or internal) filters as well. Personally I use only enclosed and any printer that doesn’t have filtration gets it added and I have general room filtration too. Some I use for ABS or ASA are externally vented.
My printer’s in the basement with no windows, and every time I go in, my rhinitis just kicks in, so I’ve gotten pretty sensitive to it.
Yeah, I feel you, my nose definitely tells me the same thing 
I’m using a Bambu Lab P1S, it’s enclosed. Could I know what filtration system are you using?
I have 2 P1S printers. I have been trying different things with each. One I have a Bento box inside. The other I bought the AlVEO3D kit.
The AlVEO3D is way better. It is fairly expensive. The bento box is better than nothing I was going to figure aunt triggering but never got around to it. I have a top lip thing that guides the wires out. I have never needed to open the top of vent anything (pla)
I have AlVEO3D on my Prusa (s) They work super well. Sadly the P2S is the worst stock and the U1 is ok stock. I need to address both at something. The Prusa with the AlVEO3D is remarkable. I can sit 4 feet from the enclosure printing ABS with zero issues and the air quality meters don’t move.
Air quality monitors is a bit sketchy, the cheap (affordable) ones don’t test micro particles and VOC it does but it is crude. The good ones are prohibitively expensive.
This type of homemade room filter is very popular and relatively cheap. With the right filters it will even clean virus’s (Mirv 13). It should make a big dent in the air quality problem in your basement.
Thanks, I just looked up the Alveo3D FE150, yeah it looks seriously powerful, but damn… €720 is kinda crazy
Also saw a report saying most consumer air quality monitors aren’t really that accurate, especially for ultrafine particles and VOCs, more like rough indicators than precise readings.
Looks pretty solid tbh, simple but effective.
I might give it a try when I get the chance 
Mirv13 is not very effective with micro particles or voc. You might just end up moving it around more. You need true hepa13. 99.95% of 0.1-0.3 nanometers the merv13 is 50% and not always tested below 1.
Something to be very careful with it is poorly understood but the evidence is mounting quickly. the higher the temps the more you get. Some materials produce more than others. Very fine particles health effects. It kinda effects everything. ABS adds VOC on top.
Health Effects on Human Systems
The impact of these fine particles depends on their ability to traverse biological barriers.
Respiratory System: Particles less than 1 um stay airborne longer and easily reach the alveoli, causing pulmonary inflammation, exacerbating asthma, and worsening COPD.
Cardiovascular System: Once in the bloodstream, these particles induce endothelial dysfunction and coagulation changes, leading to hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and increased risk of heart attacks.
Neurological Impact: Ultrafine particles can travel up the olfactory nerves directly to the brain, potentially causing cerebral dysfunction, autonomic dysfunction, and increasing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.
Systemic and Developmental: Exposure is linked to diabetes, cancer, and metabolic disorders. In utero exposure can increase risks of low birth weight and hinder lung development in children.
Looks like we are all F39748
WHAT type of machine are you using?
I don’t know about the rest but mine is a Creality K1 MAX.
I put a hepa filter on the back of my printer with the existing charcoal filter and the fan couldn’t blow air through it. I would have though Mirv 13 would be good because it will catch viruses which are very small, maybe not. What about a table small top hepa filter sat beside the printer?.
Are you venting the air from the chamber out of a window? If you are unable to do so, I would suggest relocating to a room where you can. If venting out of a window is not an option, I would suggest a good or high quality air purifier, such as this one Amazon.com: Winix 5500-2 Air Purifier with True HEPA, PlasmaWave and Odor Reducing Washable AOC Carbon Filter Medium : Home & Kitchen I am using this one, and it has not disappointed me.
Considering the climate, it would be to cold in winter to run a vent out of a window and would allow the air conditioning to leak out in summer. It costs to much to chill the house so I’m not going to do the great outdoors. I am looking at a hepa filter air cleaner, maybe I can tie one directly into the printer cabinet exhaust vent.
It looks great, but yeah, it’s quite expensive haha, thanks
I’ve come across a few 3D printing projects recently, and I’m thinking of trying to DIY and modify one myself. Feels like it could be a more cost-effective and flexible option.
The air purifier I linked to has a HEPA filter AND an activated charcoal filter, it really does do an amazing job.
I use Ikea FÖRNUFTIG in the room where my printers are located. Additionally every printer has a HEPA13 inside the enclosure. I don’t have open printers I have enclosed them all. I have decided to dedicate different printers to different materials the enclosed Prusa MK3s+ I run the nastiest on. It is sitting fully enclosed and has an Alivo3d filter I sealed most of the openings and use magnetic strips to seal the doors. It isn’t air tight but is well sealed the recirculation filter system works exceptionally well. I can vent this one out side but don’t find I need to.
I am experimenting with a made air quality monitor. I hope it will be more accurate than the off the shelf home units that are quite inaccurate. I have limited access to a industrial accurate testing unit so once I get this all sorted and complete I will report back on the accuracy.
https://www.ikea.com/ca/en/p/foernuftig-air-purifier-additional-gas-filter-white-s19471241/