At 4D Filtration, we're more than just a 3D printing store. We're passionate 3D printer enthusiasts and safety engineers committed to helping fellow 3D printer users protect themselves and their loved ones from harmful fumes and nanoplastics. We've created comprehensive articles and videos on 3D printing safety. Join our Discord community to connect with us directly and get your questions answered.
Venting 3D printers is the most effective way to prevent harmful fumes and nanoplastics from lingering in your home.
When VOCs are vented outdoors, most readily degrade within hours or days. One emission, formaldehyde, breaks downs with a half-life of 30 minutes in sunlight. Nanoplastics that are vented will eventually settle in the ground and water, where they can enter our food and water supply.
Resin printers should always be vented or be operated outside the home. Engineering filament such as ABS, ASA, Nylon, or PC should be vented, but the fumes and nanoplastics can be controlled with sufficient filtration.
Filtering 3D printer emissions has two areas of focus, ultrafine particles and VOCs.
The ultrafine particles generated from both FDM and resin printers can be readily captured with MERV 13 or HEPA filters. It is ideal to have these filters in-line when venting filament, inside enclosures, extracting from an enclosure, in the room, and/or throughout the house as mitigation.
The levels of VOCs generated from FDM printers is low compared to resin, and most of the chemicals off-gassing from filament are readily adsorbed with activated carbon. It is difficult and expensive to capture most of the VOCs from resin printers, especially when using large amounts of IPA for cleaning.
FumeFusion Zeolite has potassium permanganate that oxidizes problematic VOCs like formaldehyde and styrene, breaking them down into CO2 and water vapor. Our FumeFusion Zeolite change colors from purple to brown when exhausted, which means that it can be used as an indicator for when to replace activated carbon.
SilicaFusion Carbon improves the lifespan and effectiveness of the carbon by capturing water vapor. SilicaFusion Carbon is ideal for air cleaners inside an enclosure, especially when using hygroscopic filament.