Potential for Exposure to Particles and Gases throughout Vat Photopolymerization Additive Manufacturing Processes

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Buildings (Basel)
• Personal Author:
  Bowers, Lauren N. ; Stefaniak, Aleksandr B. ; Knepp, Alycia K. ; LeBouf, Ryan F. ; Martin, Stephen B. ; Ranpara, Anand C. ; Burns, Dru A. ; Virji, M. Abbas
• Description:
  Vat photopolymerization (VP), a type of additive manufacturing process that cures resin to build objects, can emit potentially hazardous particles and gases. We evaluated two VP technologies, stereolithography (SLA) and digital light processing (DLP), in three separate environmental chambers to understand task-based impacts on indoor air quality. Airborne particles, total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), and/or specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were monitored during each task to evaluate their exposure potential. Regardless of duration, all tasks released particles and organic gases, though concentrations varied between SLA and DLP processes and among tasks. Maximum particle concentrations reached 1200 #/cm| and some aerosols contained potentially hazardous elements such as barium, chromium, and manganese. TVOC concentrations were highest for the isopropyl alcohol (IPA) rinsing, soaking, and drying post-processing tasks (up to 36.8 mg/m|), lowest for the resin pouring pre-printing, printing, and resin recovery post-printing tasks (up to 0.1 mg/m|), and intermediate for the curing post-processing task (up to 3 mg/m|). Individual VOCs included, among others, the potential occupational carcinogen acetaldehyde and the immune sensitizer 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate (pouring, printing, recovery, and curing tasks). Careful consideration of all tasks is important for the development of strategies to minimize indoor air pollution and exposure potential from VP processes.
• Keywords:
  • ultrafine particles
  • volatile organic compounds
  • tasks
  • 3-dimensional printing
• Source:
  Buildings (Basel). 12(8)
• Pubmed ID:
  37961074
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC10641710
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  CC999999/ImCDC/Intramural CDC HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  12
• Issue:
  8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/135495/cdc_135495_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 583.35 KB]
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:12e0cbc894281b9cf96f19c91b7d1e12d6bbcf822554ebb636c0a89a63ff5666