THE ROOM
Small, unventilated rooms collect it
In one study a single print in a large, well-ventilated office did not significantly raise particle or vapour levels, but in a small, unventilated room they were readily detectable.
See the numbersWHAT THE STUDIES MEASURED
What comes out
of the nozzle.
A 3D printer makes more than the model.
Compare controls
ENCLOSE ITand give the room air
- Mind the room
- Mind the filament
- Enclose the printer
- Lessons from emission studies
As the extruder melts plastic filament, desktop printers release ultrafine particles and volatile organic compounds into the room. Researchers have measured how much, and which simple controls make the biggest difference.
Updated
THE SHORT ANSWER
Room, filament,
enclosure.
Studies point to three things that change
how much reaches the air you breathe.
THE NOZZLE
Filament changes the emissions
Emissions varied mainly with filament material. ABS released styrene, nylon-based filaments caprolactam, and PLA smaller amounts of lactide, in a five-printer study.
Practical steps
THE ENCLOSURE
Enclosures worked best
In a Finnish office study, a retrofitted enclosure cut nanoparticle emissions by 89%, and 96% when connected to local exhaust ventilation.
Compare controlsA QUICK CONTROLS CHECK
Which control
cut emissions most?
Pick a control measure to see what published studies found. The bar shows how much it reduced particle emissions.
Results come from different studies with different printers, rooms and measures, so they are a guide, not a guarantee for your setup.
TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
Billions of particles,
most of them stoppable.
One range for how much printers emit,
one for the best control tested.
10⁸–10¹¹
Ultrafine particles released per minute
Median emission rates across five printers and up to nine filaments, varying mainly by filament material and, to a lesser extent, bed temperature.
EMISSIONS · AZIMI ET AL. 2016
96%
Cut with enclosure plus exhaust
Reduction in nanoparticle emissions, based on surface area concentration, in real office conditions.
CONTROL · VIITANEN ET AL. 2021
In a small unventilated room, one study found a vapour from PLA printing still detectable 20 hours after a 165-minute print (Steinle, 2016).
FOUR STEPS FROM THE RESEARCH
Print smarter,
breathe easier.
Researchers recommend a hierarchy of controls: printer design first, then ventilation, then choices such as filament.
Avoid small, closed rooms
Emissions built up in a small unventilated room but not in a large, well-ventilated office in Steinle's study.
Keep the cover on
Where the printer has a cover, using it halved total particle emissions in Yi and colleagues' tests.
Consider an enclosure
A retrofitted enclosure cut nanoparticle emissions by 89% in office tests, and more with exhaust ventilation.
Choose filament with care
Filament type and even colour changed emissions. Studies advise caution with many printer and filament combinations in poorly ventilated spaces.
WHAT IS IN THE AIR
Tiny droplets,
and some vapours.
Steinle found the ultrafine aerosol was mainly volatile droplets, with some small iron-containing and soot-like particles. Styrene made up more than half of the vapours from ABS, while methyl methacrylate was the main one detected from PLA.
Emission rates also rose with prolonged use of the same printer: by a factor of 2 with PLA and 4 with ABS after seven months of occasional use. In workplace studies, measured personal exposures were below NIOSH limits, though the authors noted this does not cover every situation.
Questions
Questions people ask
Do 3D printers give off fumes?
Studies show desktop printers that extrude melted filament release ultrafine particles and volatile organic compounds. One study measured median particle emission rates from about 10⁸ to 10¹¹ per minute, depending on the setup.
Is PLA cleaner than ABS?
Not simply. In one study PLA released more ultrafine particles per minute than ABS, while ABS released styrene. Another found ABS released larger particles. Filament type and colour both changed emissions.
Does opening a window help?
Room ventilation helps compared with a small closed room, but an office study found general ventilation alone was not sufficient for regular or long-time printing.
Are enclosures worth it?
In one study, a retrofitted enclosure reduced nanoparticle emissions by 89%, rising to 96% with local exhaust ventilation. Another found a printer's cover halved total particle emissions.
Do emissions change as a printer ages?
One study found emission rates rose after seven months of occasional use, by a factor of 2 when printing PLA and 4 with ABS.
Where the facts come from
- Steinle (2016), Characterization of emissions from a desktop 3D printer and indoor air measurements in office settings, J Occup Environ Hyg (PubMed)
- Azimi et al. (2016), Emissions of ultrafine particles and VOCs from desktop 3D printers with multiple filaments, Environ Sci Technol (PubMed)
- Yi et al. (2016), Emission of particulate matter from a desktop 3D printer, J Toxicol Environ Health A (PubMed)
- Viitanen et al. (2021), Technical control of nanoparticle emissions from desktop 3D printing, Indoor Air (PubMed)
- Stefaniak et al. (2019), Evaluation of emissions and exposures at workplaces using desktop 3D printers, J Chem Health Saf (PubMed)