User:Gwarmstr/Fall 2018 Senior Project Update: Difference between revisions

Metal Printing

The Process

Instead of having a roll of filament like a plastic 3D printer, metal printing uses metal powder particles and extreme heat to fuse them together. There are two different ways to have a printer set up.

• Selective Laser Melting - Or also known as SLM, is designed to only use one kind of metal alloy for the entirety of a print. This allows the user to print at a lower temperature, depending on the melting point of the metal being used.
• Direct Metal Laser Sintering - or DMLS, is a process that is using different metal powders. Since there will be a different melting point, there will be a higher temperature for the printer. The fusing will allow the metal particles to mix together and for a stronger bond.

Dangers

These metal printers are have a different setup than most printers because they have something called a "build chamber." This is an enclosed area that is meant to have a controlled printing environment. But one of the major problems that can occur, is the risk of fire or explosions. There are 3 things that need to be present for a fire and 5 for an explosion. Similar things would be the fuel source, which would be the metal particles; and an ignition source, which would be the extreme heat from the laser. The only difference is that for an explosion it needs to be in a confined area like the build chamber, and have a dust cloud which easily can for with the small particles.

The easiest way to avoid these dangers, is with the last point; oxidation. If you cannot completely eliminate it, then it is crucial that it can be minimized. The user needs to understand what metals that they are using, and must select a gas to fill the build chamber that will not have a chemical reaction with the print. This is decided by the metal selection, the pressure in the chamber, the temperature, and reactivity to different substances. One of the main gasses used is Argon.

When dealing with any kind of gasses, whether there is a build chamber or not, it can be very dangerous for humans to be around. This is especially dangerous when the printer is in a small enclosed room. By switching from oxygen, to something like argon, this can be risky for their respiratory system. Normally humans are at 21% oxygen in the air. Dropping to anything below 19.5% is considered to be oxygen deficient. If someone was to be in this state for too long, it can cause high amounts of stress to be put on the heart. There will be lower blood circulation, shortness of breath, and extreme high blood pressure. Being like this for too long has a chance of damaging the heart or even brain permanently.

Plastic Printing

For the most part, this printing is not too dangerous and takes just a little bit of common sense to stay safe. But I did not want to look at the process or short term dangers. Typically people use PLA which is polylactic acid or ABS which is acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. Making the print is not the dangerous part, it is what is around the print then that becomes the problem. These printers get so hot that it melts the plastic in an instant. There were studies conducted to learn the effects of these filaments. It was found that around the area of a well used printer, there are things called UFP's and VOC's. These are ultrafine particles and volatile organic compounds. There are also vapors that get released into the air.

Dangers

Most of the time, if someone has a 3D printer, they take very good care of it, clean it, so this takes away the risk of fire. But what people do not notice, is what they are breathing in when around a printer. UFP's are extremely dangerous particles due to coming from melting plastics and the minuscule size of them. After lots of research it was found that people who have a regular exposure to printers for a long period of time have a greatly increased risk of asthma, heart disease, and an increased chance of an earlier death. Especially at Michigan Tech, where students will have printers running through the night when they sleep, they are breathing in these particles.

UV Printing

There is still more that I would like to look into before coming up with a potential solution for UV Printers. This will be what I start the Spring 2019 semester with.

For now I wanted to learn more about them just to get a better understanding. One of the printers that I saw a lot was something called a Digital Light Processing Printer or a DLP. It is very similar to how any other printer works, going layer by layer, but instead of a laser or melting plastics through an extruder, it takes a lot of UV radiation. With the radiation, it goes layer by layer and cures the resin that is sitting on the base. But these printers have such a quick curing speed that no other printer can compete with it. A normal print that might take hours to make can be completed in minutes.

Dangers and Solutions

Right now I am still looking at the different ways to protect a user from this. I have looked into having a screen like the materials from sunglasses. These are designed to stop up to 99% of radiation from getting through.

I would like to look into if it is possible to create of sealed box like the build chamber discussed earlier. But it would be designed just for the radiation.

References

So far these are all of the sites that I have used

1) “What Is 3D Printing? How Does a 3D Printer Work? Learn 3D Printing.”3D Printing, 13 Oct. 2018, 3dprinting.com/what-is-3d-printing/.

2) “Introduction to Metal 3D Printing.”3D Hubs, 3D Hubs Blog, www.3dhubs.com/knowledge-base/introduction-metal-3d-printing.

3) “UV Resin 3D Printer – What Is It?”All3DP, 26 Oct. 2018, all3dp.com/2/uv-resin-3d-printer-what-is-it/. 4) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311547692_Effect_of_UV_Radiation_by_Proje ctors_on_3D_Printing

5) WARNING – How Safe Is Your Desktop 3D Printer?”3D Print HQ, 3dprinthq.com/desktop-3d-printer-safety/.

6) Bouthillier, Jean Le. “Heat Beds in 3D Printing – Advantages and Equipment.”Boots Industries - Leaders in 3D Printer Filament, bootsindustries.com/heat-bed-3d-printing/.

7) “Don't Burn Your House down 3D Printing. A Cautionary Tale.”This Smart House, 20 Mar. 2018, www.thissmarthouse.net/dont-burn-your-house-down-3d-printing-a-cautionary-tale/.

8) http://techgenix.com/3d-printing-health-hazards/

9) “Volatile Organic Compounds' Impact on Indoor Air Quality.”EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 6 Nov. 2017, www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/volatile-organic-compounds-impact-indoor-air-quali ty.

10) https://oehha.ca.gov/air/press-release/press-release-air/study-finds-long-term-exposure-ul trafine-particle-air-pollution

11) Bhrate, Dhruv, and Phoenix Analysis & Design Technologies. “Installing a Metal 3D Printer: Part 3A (Safety Risks).”Additive Manufacturing Magazine, Additive Manufacturing, 27 Sept. 2017, www.additivemanufacturing.media/blog/post/installing-a-metal-3d-printer-part-3a-safety -risks.

12) Salea, Ahamad, et al. “Metal Oxide Semiconductor 3D Printing: Preparation of Copper(II) Oxide by Fused Deposition Modelling for Multi-Functional Semiconducting Applications.”Journal of Materials Chemistry C, The Royal Society of Chemistry, 24 Apr. 2017, pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2017/tc/c7tc00990a#!divAbstract.

13) http://www.3dprinterpro.com/filament-glossary/