3D Printed Air Purifier -- Get Rid of ABS Smell and VOC's

by Happy_Mad_Scientist

20K12824

Intro: 3D Printed Air Purifier -- Get Rid of ABS Smell and VOC's

HOLD UP: A few people smarter than me commented and noted that this doesn't get rid of UFP's (ultra fine particles) This respirator cartridge has a P100 filter in it but some of the super fine particles will still get through. It still does get rid of the smell and VOC's namely formaldehyde which is a carcinogen. There isn't much you can do for the UFP's except make sure you chamber is sealed and/or vent it to the outside (best way). Just thought I'd let ya know :)

Hey guys! Hows it going?!?!?!?! So I've been addicted to 3D printing for 3 freakin years now and I have dumped... ahem.. invested almost every stinkin' stupid penny I have into this hobby. KEY WORD: Invested (means I have a clear conscience when I see how much is in the ol bank account)

Now I LOVE to print with ABS. In fact, I've done so much printing with this stinky warping crap that I've even found ways to partially "un-warp" the stupid stuff. Now all it took was $50 (excluding the enclosure) to fix the other huge downside of ABS (the part where it stinks and the stinks is toxic). It wasn't not easy but here it is!I call it the "Air Wizard 2.0 5,000". JK butt seriously no not really it's just an air purifier for the inside of your printer enclosure.

It's extremely easy to print and put together. It uses easy to find and easy to replace respirator cartridges! This particular one I used is a "3M Formaldehyde Organic Vapor Cartridge/Filter 60925, P100 Respiratory Protection" which, as far as I understand, is the best type for this application.

STEP 1: Parts

Links to files and parts:

(1x) 120mm radial blower

(1x) 12v wall adapter

(1x) 2 pack of filters

cheap PLA I like to use

(1x) part file at Thingiverse.com

Note: Some of these links are affiliate links (clicking the links, or even better buying the item, will help support the development of future projects. It costs you nothing though!) As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

STEP 2: Super Easy Assembly

1: Print out the adapter

2: Put a ring of hot glue around the rim of the fan to seal it. Make sure to press the adapter on while still hot.

3: Optional but recommended - - Bolt adapter to fan

4: twist on your respirator cartridge and you are good to go!

STEP 3: Enjoy!!!

Hope you find this useful! If it's not much trouble could you subscribe to me one YouTube?

DISCLAIMER:
Always check with your manufacturer and keep in mind that this air purifier has not been tested and I can not guarantee that it is effective.

19 Comments

KyleD122 5 years ago

Unfortunately this doesn't do much for the harmful VOC or UFP's in question. It's a really cool setup but based on research and studies the emissions in question are much smaller than what this filter screens out. P100 filters filter 0.3 micron and large particulates. The emmissions detected from 3d printing are on the order of 0.02 microns, around ten times smaller. See below sources and Google for more info on recent studies. reference 100nm=0.1 microns.

https://pksafety.com/blog/what-does-p100-mean/

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02786826.2017.1342029?src=recsys

https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-verizon&ei=d103XLzIO8q10PEP7MKn-AE&q=microns+to+nm&oq=microns+to+nm&gs_l=mobile-gws-wiz-serp.3..19j0l3.15947.17197..17581...0.0..0.184.886.0j6......0....1.........0i71j0i67j0i20i263j0i131.jzXpPir83Ig

The reason I say this is not to deflate bubbles on really cool possible solutions, it's because there is allot of misinformation and false safety solutions like this going around that further confuses people. currently alot more research is being done as more is needed for difinitive safety guidelines. Please research if you plan to 3D print without a serious ventilation and filtration solution to understand the risks.

Happy_Mad_Scientist 5 years ago

It actually does filter out the VOC's. Namely formaldehyde which is carcinogenic.
As for the UFP's I thought that the p100 was considered HEPA (i guess that's a buzz word huh?) and HEPA filters are what's in my UpBox and supposed to get rid of that crap. I guess I was wrong. Are there different levels of "HEPA" filters that are supposed to get rid of the super small stuff?

a-morpheus 5 years ago

It's not always clear what HEPA means since there are different people using it in different ways. Depending where you are or who's selling a product, the marketing trick with HEPA is you can call a filter HEPA but not give it's class (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HEPA) so a company can sell a "HEPA" filter of the lowest filtering class (lets the most particles through) and people will think "oh, it's HEPA...must be good". I once asked which class a vacuum cleaner HEPA filter was for my vacuum and I think the answer was E11, so letting 5% of particles pass, which is quite a bit particularly as I'm standing there breathing in all the crud that has settled onto the floor. You can get H13/H14 for reasonable prices but when I looked the U classes were pretty expensive. There's another class for filters, ULPA, that remove 99.999% of >=0.1micron particles but apparently they're not necessarily better (see "ULPA is NOT Better than HEPA" https://www.achooallergy.com/learning/the-seven-sins-of-air-filter-manufacturers) There's also a grander filter classification scheme to be aware of, not sure exactly what but I think this: https://www.emw.de/en/filter-campus/filter-classes.html. The lower grades might be relevant in the first stage of filtering if you were filtering big volumes of air, like from a paint booth or dusty environment. I'm not an expert, this is just from reading up for a project of my own that needed some air filtration, so anybody correct me if I'm wrong.

KyleD122 5 years ago

My mistake, although I would need to break out the old chemistry book as VOC have to do with boiling point, I think, and UFP is a group of particulates under a certain size. So maybe they're could be overlap? But thank you for clarifying in your article. I love printing both at work and home and hope there is clarity soon on the proper safety precautions. Even at the massive company I work at they are still trying to figure this out... Thanks again, love the idea, if you find anything new on protection against UFP's I look forward to hearing about it. Happy and safe printing!

Arthur HarlemanH 5 years ago

Voc is volital organic compound. It's basically any off gas so I would say they do overlap

JustinB37 5 years ago

Haha, exactly! We care about your life!

But unfortunately HEPA filters will be inefficient as well. While studies show that HEPA filters can capture at less than 0.3 microns that is all they are rated for. And as Kyle mentioned and is written about in the study, ABS can go as low as 0.02 microns. I don't know of any filter that will work currently (But willing to learn about one if I'm wrong) - Basically you still need a properly sealed chamber for your printer and sealed ventilation out of the room.

Happy_Mad_Scientist 5 years ago

Ok that's prob why I was confused cause I've been told HEPA filters are what you need and p100 does what a HEPA can (or is considered HEPA).... now it all makes sense! Thanks again!

JustinB37 5 years ago

Wow, I came here to share that exact study :)

Definitely wouldn't be trying to burst any bubbles either and don't think you are.

This may help reduce the smell, but harmful particles are still going to get out unfortunately.

Might help to rename the title of this and put the disclaimer at the top?

Keep being addicted to this awesome hobby! I know I am :P

KyleD122 5 years ago

Yeah I have a list of studies I have been forwarding to our industrial safety team at work so they start looking into this. Since I saw the article title here I was excited to see if someone figured it out. Seems sealed printing with outside ventilation is the key for now...

Happy_Mad_Scientist 5 years ago

Yeah I'll put a disclaimer. I would think though that this filter isn't obsolete as it still removes the VOC's. I thought this thing had the UFP's covered but I guess not. Prob just add a "HEPA" filter and be good to go? Thanks btw. Wouldn't want anybody (myself included) to think they're ok and not be. I appreciate it!

garzo 5 years ago

To everyone that suggests to have a sealed chamber to minimize the chance of air polluting: you don't actually have to have a sealed chamber. At the opposite, you should have some (small) air entrance, otherwise the filter fan can't properly work. As long as the fan can produce some underpression in the chamber no pollutant will exit (except from the filter, but that's a filter fault) because it's the clean air that will enter the chamber, not the polluted air that will exit.

Alex Kov 5 years ago

This project makes me wonder: is there anything that CAN NOT be 3D printed?

FusionBolt77 5 years ago

Do you have an estimate of how long each respirator cartridge will last?

Happy_Mad_Scientist 5 years ago

My good advice: change them every ~20hrs like the manufacturer says
My bad advice: I think I can make em last 200+hrs. So far I've printed about ~80hrs and it's hard to tell but I think it's prob at 90-95% yet. I still can't smell any "fumes" at all in the room I have it in. As soon as I smell the stuff though it's gettin changed. If you had a sealed enclosure you could prob just turn it on a minute or two before you open it and make it last really long.

KyleD122 5 years ago

The smell is not any indicator if the filter is working or not...

Yonatan24 5 years ago

Why did you choose to use this type of radial fan/impellor/blower instead a regular fan, like a PC fan? Do they have more suction power to get the air through the filter?

Happy_Mad_Scientist 5 years ago

I was told they have more suction power but I'm not sure. This kind of fan is easier to mount to a wall or ceiling though. If you really need a lot of suction I've heard air bilge pumps are good but loud.