this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2023
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submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by thantik to c/3dprinting
 

Please, use adequate ventilation (with a heat exchanger if you need to keep A/C in the room) if you're going to be resin printing inside. I don't want to see all of you guys get cancer from this hobby.

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[–] thorbot 87 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Fuck this video. Dude claims it’s killing you and offers zero reason as to why or how. Pure clickbait bullshit here folks

[–] Carighan 40 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Also leads with "It's not clickbait", then it is clickbait. Really the peak of modern Youtube scum.

[–] sebinspace 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

To be fair, this is kind of the environment YouTube have cultivated over the years, intentionally or otherwise

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Let's say the chemicals aren't healthy. Disclaimer: RTFM (MSDS and technical datasheet) and consult with professionals.

There are a few issues here at play. One major issue is that repeated exposure has a risk of sensibilization. Once this happens there is no way back. Your life will change.

The consumer industry has already moved. I remember explaining to Anycubic sales what an MSDS is and why I need it (if you need a good argument in such conversations: REACH). These days you can download it on their website.

To this day the packaging might not be CLP conform. At least their marketing got better: Water washable has now a section about waste treatment but plant-based resin is still advertised as "low odor and safe to use" or "truly environmentally friendly". Worst of all they still suggest that the odors are safe to breathe as everything is soybean-based: The truth is they aren't and neither is it soybeans. What once was soybeans is heavily modified.

Sadly this is not just an Anycubic issue.

Btw. If you use Anycubic though resin: According to their MSDS they switched the product and kept the name the same (approx. 2 years ago).

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I'd love to have understood any of your funny words magic man.. eli5?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

Don't breathe it; don't get it on your skin and wear safety glases. Don't flush it down the toilet.

Gloves: Those single-use gloves are spill protection and nothing more. If you can avoid touching resin avoid it and swap them immediately if they contact resin. Keep in mind that approx. 1-2 gloves per box (100 pcs.) can have holes/defects.

For waste treatment: Follow local guidance. As a rough rule of thumb: expose the resin to the sun (fully cure it), let the IPA evaporate and dispose it as a solid.

Flammable liquid storage: Keep the amount stored (inside) as small as possible. If the room is an escape route move your IPA washing station to a different room. Obviously, have a smoke detector in every room of your household, test them every few months and replace after 10 years.

How to check for contamination? Most printer resins are UV-reactive. Get a handheld UV-lamp/black light (those to check bank notes) and if anything lights up in green (fingerprints or spots) you have contaminated it with resin at some point (unless the object/material is also UV-reactive). Especially at the beginning, such a device is useful for learning good work practices (e.g. resin on the glove and touching the curing station or spills on the silicone matt around the washing station).

Any chemical is as safe as you make it: If you are careless it's dangerous. You do your homework and it's suddenly safe to use.

If you don't feel safe or scared by a chemical don't work with it. In this case ask around if somebody already does resin printing and get familiar with it before doing it on your own.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Honestly what worries me the most are the fumes

[–] Tag365 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Is flushing it down the toilet going to cause fatbergs or worse?

[–] SoleInvictus 2 points 1 year ago

No fatbergs, but it's absolutely terrible for the environment in liquid form. If you need to dispose of resin, pour it into a pie tin or something and leave it out in sun for a day or two. After it's solid, chuck it in the garbage.

[–] duffer 4 points 1 year ago

Health and Safety says:

Don't breathe in the fumes.

[–] Tag365 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What is "sensibilization" and why is it not a good thing?

[–] SoleInvictus 2 points 1 year ago

They mean sensitization. It's where you react more strongly to exposure the more you're exposed. It's a problem for a couple of reasons. The scary one is some people move along the reaction continuum from "mildly annoying" to "oh shit call an ambulance" pretty fast. It's not common but it happens. I actually have a condition that predisposes me to that so I always carry an epi-pen. Good times.

The more mundane one is, even with controls to remove fumes and PPE to avoid them, it's not uncommon to still be exposed to a small degree, especially in a hobbyist setting. Let's imagine you're lax on avoiding exposure and become sensitized due to prolonged and/or heavy exposure, so you set up proper controls to try to avoid it. Now the small amount of remaining exposure which may have never been a problem with proper controls may actually become a problem. Now you can't work with that material at all without having some sort of reaction.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Did you actually watch the video?

He literally presents a list of reasons around 5:12. Then he goes on to describe how formaldehyde already affects him.

Resin priting can be a lot of fun, but he's correct: that shit is toxic. It needs to be respected, and he's also correct in pointing out the carbon filter on many printers is basically a placebo for the consumer.

Still don't believe him? Fine. Go checkout the small book that is the set of warnings with this stuff from a resin producer: https://entropyresins.com/safety/epoxy-safety-tips/

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[–] thantik 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

He mentions VOCs within the resin, just because you can't wrap your head around why inhaling "volatile organic compounds" can be bad for you, does not mean it's wrong. Take proper precautions to ventilate the area while printing resin, please.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

You know volatile just means it readily evaporates, right?

Alcohol is a volatile organic compound.

Nothing about the term 'volatile organic compound' means dangerous. You need more information.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Even when you cook food there are volatile organic compounds all around you and nobody would say they're dangerous.

[–] Carighan 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Oh, we're supposed to read the manuals before handling chemicals now?!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I'll check the manuals after mixing up this sweet bleach and ammonia cleaning spray.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago

volatile organic compounds

Perfume and air fresheners are VOCs, you need to know specifically what ones.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (8 children)

You clearly have no idea what that even means.

When you cook food there are voletile organic componds. Almost everything you smell are voletile organic compounds. Parfums are voletile organic compounds. Your air is full of voletile organic compounds.

It doesn't say shit about how bad something is for you.

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[–] Tikiporch 23 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Explain what you mean by use heat exchangers?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah the term "heat exchanger" describes a lot of things.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Okay I pulled the radiator out of my truck buy I'm not sure where to connect it or how much coolant I need to pour in my printer.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

You connect the radiator to the FAN1 plug, you might need to crimp the tube to a cable connector though.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

you might be interested in this https://www.openerv.org/

[–] thantik 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Yep, it's basically a simple air-to-air heat exchanger. Applicable to any hobby that will generally put fine particulate matter into the air. Laser cutting, woodworking, etc. Generally an overall good thing to have for a shop.

[–] thantik 4 points 1 year ago

It's essentially a heat/cooling recovery unit so you're not simply pumping your A/C out into the world and wasting energy. It allows you to swap the air in a room out, without losing its cool/heat by simply pumping in outside air. The video explains what he used.

[–] bblkargonaut 17 points 1 year ago (3 children)
[–] j4k3 3 points 1 year ago

Thanks. I'm no expert at this chemistry, but this is the better reference IMO

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Here is an alternative Piped link(s): https://piped.video/ht4tbCiFxeM?si=fQuV-vS4V0crt6Hf

Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.

I'm open-source, check me out at GitHub.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Even if you're printing with anything but PLA, you should be ventilating well, since it obviously releases chemicals into the air -- you can smell it. PLA does as well, but from the smell it seems like a much different one.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

PLA is used for medical implants, because it breaks down into lactic acid inside the body, so it's almost certainly safe.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sure, but you still shouldn't inhale it.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

YOU CANT TELL ME WHAT TO DO -- SNIFFFFF

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Here is an alternative Piped link(s): https://piped.video/watch?v=fjhmXzvbyfA

Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.

I'm open-source, check me out at GitHub.

[–] Tag365 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What is the correct way to ventilate the 3D printers? How can you ensure accidental contact with resin won't ruin your life?

[–] thantik 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The correct way is basically this: Get a ventilation fan, and exhaust the air around the resin printer to the outside of your home. Learn proper safety procedures, with correct nitrile gloves, and VOC-rated respirator and use that to ensure you don't get resin on your skin. Resin print in the garage if possible. Resin likes warmer temperatures anyhow, it helps the chemical reaction occur. Make sure this ventilation fan is AT the window, because you don't want any of the pressurized air to leak back into your living space. You want it to suck air out of the room and vent it outside.

An upgraded system is going to cost more, but if you're in an air conditioned area - it will save you air conditioning costs. You need a heat recovery ventilator, and typically that will come with 2 blower fans, this isn't absolutely necessary but would be the "correct" way to do it. I'd opt for this if you're resin printing inside your home office and it's going to be a permanent thing, or if you're running lots of resin printers at once.

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