Risques lors de l'impression en 3D

L'impression 3D au quotidien est plus répandu tant au niveau industriel qu'au niveau domestique, ce qui améliore le développement de nombreuses applications dans un grand nombre de domaines. Au niveau des médias, seuls les avantages de la technologie ressortent, mais il y a certaines précautions à prendre en compte lorsqu'il s'agit de se lancer dans le monde de l'impression 3D.

Mais chaque utilisateur doit tenir compte de certains risques pouvant survenir lors de l'impression 3D. Les deux principales sources de risque et les plus courantes sont d'une part les gaz libérés lors de la fusion du matériau, et d'autre part les sources possibles d'incendie par une mauvaise utilisation de l'imprimante 3D ou le mauvais état de l'électronique de celle-ci.

Ci-dessous, nous détaillons les principales sources de risques, ainsi que les précautions à prendre pour éviter les problèmes majeurs :

Gaz et odeurs libérés

Tous les matériaux utilisés dans l'impression 3D FDM / FFF sont en plastique ou contiennent une partie de ce matériau. À ce stade, nous nous concentrerons sur les trois plus courants :PLA, ABS et HIPS.

L'ABS et le HIPS sont deux matériaux très répandus en impression 3D et aussi, il est très courant de les utiliser en combinaison, HIPS comme matériau de support (il est dissous dans du D-Limonène) et ABS comme matériau de base. Ces deux matériaux ont un inconvénient qui est que lors de leur fusion une quantité de styrène 20 fois supérieure à celle qui existe dans l'atmosphère est libérée , devenant cancérigène en cas de respiration prolongée de ces gaz émis.

Le PLA est un matériau facile à imprimer sur n'importe quelle imprimante 3D et donc, le plus polyvalent de tous les matériaux existants pour l'impression 3D. Concernant les déchets générés, ils libèrent du lactide , un élément qui ne présente pas le problème susmentionné d'ABS, et n'affecte pas non plus la santé des personnes .

In addition, industrial 3D printers sincorporate the HEPA filter , which is a type of high efficiency air filter that meets high standards. Therefore, if you don't have a closed 3D printer with a HEPA filter, the main recommendation is to keep the place of printing well ventilated (care must be taken with drafts since they cause the dreaded warping and cracking effect in open 3D printers).

Therefore, in domestic environments, it's advisable to print filaments that don't emit odors as long as they comply with the mechanical properties.

Possible fire sources

Image 1:Possible fire sources

At this point we must take into account first of all that 3D printers that don't have the CE mark (European Certificate) don't pass any quality control , something that can become very dangerous in the event of a failure.

Electricity

It must be taken into account that the characteristics of the electrical network to which the 3D printer is connected must be exactly those indicated on the machine:230 Vac, 50Hz. In addition, attention should be paid to where the 3D printer connects. If it's fed from a terminal strip with more consumers, it can cause fuses to blow or the protections of the installation to skip. Therefore, the characteristics of the line must be checked before connection . When cleaning the 3D printer, always disconnect the 3D printer from the electrical outlets to avoid accidental contacts.

Electronics

The use of quality electronic components , as well as cables with the appropriate section is crucial to avoid excess temperatures that can lead to the fire of the 3D printer itself and this, in turn, of everything that is around it. Another possible problem that can also cause a fire is that the temperature sensor comes out of its housing and the heating cartridge raises its temperature to the maximum, melting the elements that are around it and can cause fire.

Hot parts

Sometimes by inertia or forgetfulness you tend to put your hand inside the 3D printer while it's still hot, which can cause severe burns to the skin . We mustn't forget that the operation of a 3D printer is based on the principle of polymer melting, which implies a high temperature in the heating elements.

In addition, the fact that the 3D printer is switched off or unplugged after finishing an impression doesn't imply that the heating elements are cold, so it shouldn't be touched until enough time has passed.

Mobile parts

For the movement of the 3 axes, as well as that of the 2 extruders, electrical motors are used step by step with high torque. When you put your fingers or your hand in the areas of the shafts, spindles and belts, it can cause entrapments, bruises and wounds , as well as burns due to the heat dissipated by the motors. Therefore, we must be very careful when entering the hand inside the 3D printer , and should only be done if strictly necessary, and to be able to be with security measures to prevent further damage in the event of an accident.

Fixing spray

When applying the base fixative spray (3DLac, DimaFix or PrintaFix) it must be done outside the 3D printer since they are highly inflammable products that in contact with high temperatures or residual electric currents can cause a flame. Although it seems incredible, there have already been more than one case where a house is burned or something worse because of the wrong process.

Our particular recommendation is that at all times you have proof (especially when you have a 3D printer in a domestic environment), that this isn't a "toy", and that its operation carries associated risks. It's always better to have 3D printers with CE marking that have a closed housing and HEPA filter, and if possible in ventilated places.