Inkjet & Digital Printing

ARE DESKTOP 3D PRINTERS SAFE?

Tuesday 06. August 2013 - "3D printers shown to emit potentially harmful nanosized particles."

That was a recent headline in Phys.org, and similar to headlines in other publications, based on a study of PLA- and ABC-based 3D printers published in the journal Atmospheric Environment.
Assistant professor Brent Stephens and his graduate students in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago found…
“The emission rates were similar to those measured in previous studies of several other devices and indoor activities, including…burning a cigarette…elevated UFP number concentrations are associated with adverse health effects, including total and cardio-respiratory mortality, hospital admissions for stroke, and asthma symptoms.”
Terrifying! Yet, not surprising.
There are other cautions not included in the study about some desktop 3D printers, particularly ones marketed for home use, including build plates that reach temperatures of several hundred degrees, yet have little or no protection from a curious child’s hands.
What the study and the related articles don’t mention is that there are safe 3D printer alternatives for consumers and professionals alike.
Mcor’s paper-based desktop 3D printers, for example, use ordinary sheets of office paper as the build material – just like your regular 2D inkjet printer – rather than potentially toxic plastics, photopolymers and powders. They also use a water-based adhesive, similar to your childrens’ craft glue, in the process to bind the sheets of paper. The printing process is safely enclosed inside the printer. There are no fumes, toxic emissions, odors or loud noises with Mcor 3D printers.
Post-processing the 3D printed models is also safer with Mcor 3D printers. Since the adhesive is selectively applied during the printing process, more in the areas where the model will be and less in the surrounding area that won’t become the model, users only need their bare hands and regular household tweezers to remove the part from the surrounding paper from which it was built. Other 3D printing processes require chemicals, vacuuming of messy powders or sharp cutting tools to remove the surrounding support material.
Mcor 3D printers are also safe for the environment compared to other printers. The 3D printed models and any excess paper and adhesive (and ink in the Mcor IRIS full colour 3D printer) can be fully recycled.
You might be thinking, “That’s great for professional users, but how about consumers?”
Mcor 3D printers are indeed professional-class 3D printers. However, if you’re a consumer or small business and wish to have a durable paper 3D printed model, you can get an Mcor 3D printed model at a very low cost from authorized Mcor resellers and service providers around the world, and in the very near future, through the Staples’ ‘Easy 3D’ print service.
So, in answer to the original question, “are desktop 3D printers safe?” Yes, there are some desktop 3D printers that are indeed safe. The Mcor IRIS and Mcor Matrix paper-based 3D printers top that list.