danielf
Harmless
Posts: 1
Registered: 14-11-2014
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Mood: No Mood
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Fume extraction for 3D Printer...
Hi. First post on site; appreciate any and all help.
I'm looking to build a method of fume extraction (modified fume-hood)
for my home 3D printer. I've searched this forum for previous
discussions on DIY fume hoods; they've given me a lot of ideas, but
nothing is directly on point.
Here's the context --- I'm doing this 3D printing at home, and want to
protect my family from possible risks of emitted ultra-fine particles
(UFPs). UFPs from 3D printing, in particular, have recently been
recognized as problematic. If interested, see the following lay
article:
http://3dprintingindustry.com/2013/07/29/ultrafine-particles...
which also cites some peer-review studies.
My first take on a solution is to place the 3D printer in a completely
enclosed "box" (detailed below), with a ductless fume extractor
attached on top. (I need to go ductless, rather than ducted, based
upon the location of printer in my house.) Also, to emphasize, this
won't be a *true* fume-hood (modified instead to be completely
enclosed); no front-opening is planned, since I won't need access to
printer while it's working. I expect to remove the front panel to
access prints as they complete (often taking 1--10 hours depending
upon size).
My main points of uncertainty are the following:
(1) Sizing and selecting the fan
(2) Confirming that my HEPA + activated charcoil filters are sufficient
My Bill of Materials (BOM), as currently decided:
(1) OpenBeam extruded aluminum frame for enclosure, sized as necessary
(see http://www.openbeamusa.com/about/)
(2) Acrylic faces for all sides of enclosure, except bottom face
which perhaps will be Lexan or Sheet Metal (inexpensively cut to
order at HomeDepot/Lowes)
(3) 3M Filtrete Activated Charcoil Filter (20"x25"x1")
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E0IRV14/
(4) 3M Filtrete 2200-MPR HEPA Filter (20"x25"x1")
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005F5D4W6/
(5) Fan / blower, of unknown capacity as yet
A few further thoughts:
(1) I don't think I have to worry about obtaining a (more expensive)
fan with a motor out of the airflow, given that I won't be
producing particular noxious or corrosive gases; even so, I'm
happy to hear other opinions on this.
(2) I'll be judging the success of this build by doing before / after
measurements of air quality using a particle counter (the
supposedly respectable, but low-end, Dylos DC1100 Pro)
Questions:
(1) Do the above filters (in BOM) seem sufficient for this scenario?
(2) Any suggestions on filter mounts? (Currently, I was just going
to cut a whole in the acrylic and mount them somewhat inline
with fan.)
(3) How do you suggest I size and select the right fan (the
discussions on the forum seemed to focus on airflow over face of
operator, which is not german here, given that enclosure has
*NO* front openinig)? Any suggestions for a particular model?
Any other thoughts? Thanks!
-Daniel
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Magpie
lab constructor
Posts: 5939
Registered: 1-11-2003
Location: USA
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Mood: Chemistry: the subtle science.
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Quote: Originally posted by danielf  |
(3) How do you suggest I size and select the right fan (the
discussions on the forum seemed to focus on airflow over face of
operator, which is not german here, given that enclosure has
*NO* front openinig)? Any suggestions for a particular model?
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You will have to have an inlet of some kind as air can't flow out if it isn't coming in. The inlet could just be a number of slits strategicaly
placed. The total inlet area, outlet pressure drop across the filters, etc, and the size of your fan would then dictate the exhaust flowrate. For
filters I would say a HEPA for sure. The choice of absorber for the organics might depend on the type of organics. As a minimum I would have an
activated carbon absorbtion "filter." (I haven't read the supplied document.) You might Google "ductless fume hoods" for some ideas.
[Edited on 15-11-2014 by Magpie]
The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem
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