Safety Precautions for 3D Printing

[JayW]

I have been 3D printing parts for a few years now, using the Elegoo Saturn 2 printer - a MSLA (masked stereo lithography) type printer.  To date I have not done much of anything to protect my home from the potential of harmful fumes.  My printer resides in my little office which has a door, and all I have done until lately is to close the door while printing is taking place.  While in the past I actually worked in my office as printing was taking place, I avoid that now.  And, now I open the window in the office and have a small fan blow out the window to create a negative pressure effect, in the hopes that any fumes do not find their way in the house proper. 

 

Reading up on the potential health effects of 3D print fumes, well it makes for some scary reading.  And now I fear I am not doing nearly enough.  My question for all LSP'ers who are 3D printing - what do you do, if anything, to guard against potentially dangerous fumes from 3D printing?  

 

Edited September 27 by JayW

[RCPlym]

Effective positive ventilation is essential for long-term printing in particular.

 

Although, as of yet, no serious health issues have been identified from any of the chemicals present in resins in the very small quantities the likes of us use, but there is always the potential for them in the future, particularly if direct contact with uncured resin should happen. PPE - nitrile gloves and an organic fumes respirator such as the3M 6200 with 6051 cartridges is ideal as a bare minimum requirement.

Most modelling activities do have the potential to harm health - sanding resin, fillers, primers etc., painting and adhesives all have associated risks.

 

[Tecnikit]

2 hours ago, JayW said:

He estado imprimiendo piezas en 3D durante algunos años, utilizando la impresora Elegoo Saturn 2 - una impresora tipo MSLA (litografía estéreo enmascarada). Hasta la fecha no he hecho mucho de nada para proteger mi hogar del potencial de los humos dañinos. Mi impresora reside en mi pequeña oficina que tiene una puerta, y todo lo que he hecho hasta que últimamente es cerrar la puerta mientras se está llevando a cabo la impresión. Mientras que en el pasado realmente trabajaba en mi oficina mientras se llevaba a cabo la impresión, lo evito ahora. Y, ahora abro la ventana en la oficina y tengo un pequeño ventilador que sopla por la ventana para crear un efecto de presión negativa, con la esperanza de que cualquier humo no encuentre su camino en la casa propiamente dicha.

 

Leyendo los posibles efectos en la salud de los humos de impresión 3D, bueno, hace que se lea algo de miedo. Y ahora me temo que no estoy haciendo lo suficiente. Mi pregunta para todos los LSP'ers que son la impresión 3D - ¿qué hace, en todo caso, para protegerse de los humos potencialmente peligrosos de la impresión 3D?

 

I use a dedicated room for printing. I simply stay out of the room while it’s printing; I do my designing in a different one and ventilate the space afterward. Ideally, you should have an extraction system—even a basic one like the setup you have now.

 

Javier

Edited September 27 by Tecnikit

[JNordgren41]

I have my printers and cleaning station set up in the garage. It's been blazing hot here in central Texas virtually all summer and I haven't done much printing at all since July. Thankfully it's finally starting to cool off, so I can get back to it. I always wear an organic vapor rated mask and use heavy duty nitrile gloves when handling uncured prints or resin. I'll also usually open the garage door for additional ventilation when cleaning.

[JNordgren41]

Also I forgot to mention, most resins are skin sensitizing allergens and can get worse with repeated exposure, so it's important to minimize contact. People often have little to no symptoms with initial exposure, but the body can build up an immune response that results in severe reactions with even tiny amounts of contact later. All of this of course varies person to person, but it's best to be safe and avoid problems that may preclude you from enjoying this aspect of the hobby in the future.

[Jim Barry]

I have yet to face the fumes issue as I only started printing in the summer and have lots of open window space in my studio. I have to look into ventilation and all that for the fall/winter.  I will remind others that the resin will definitely burn your skin. Because I learned that the hard way, I basically wear nitrile gloves all the time when I'm working with my stuff. It's nice not to sanding all the time, but it's always something, isn't it? 

[gunpowder]

56 minutes ago, JNordgren41 said:

Also I forgot to mention, most resins are skin sensitizing allergens and can get worse with repeated exposure, so it's important to minimize contact. People often have little to no symptoms with initial exposure, but the body can build up an immune response that results in severe reactions with even tiny amounts of contact later. All of this of course varies person to person, but it's best to be safe and avoid problems that may preclude you from enjoying this aspect of the hobby in the future.

Yup its just started to happen to me. Wheni first started about 2 years ago i was a bit careless. I have started getting sore skin now if any resin does get on me. I think some may have found its way under my wedding ring somehow , even though i wear gloves. Its now caused a vert sore area. I think my problem is that im still a bit lazy with uncured resin after washing it.

[RCPlym]

17 minutes ago, gunpowder said:

Its now caused a vert sore area. I

 

Give the areas a rub with pure Aloe Vera juice if you can get some.

It will help a lot.

 

Most likely you have become sensitised to something in the resin.

 

I'd also suggest using a good quality barrier cream such as Rozalex.

 

You really don't want to suffer from contact dermatitis. 😬 

 

[RCPlym]

51 minutes ago, Jim Barry said:

have yet to face the fumes

 

The ones most likely to potentially cause issues are the odourless ones... You will have inhaled them without even knowing.

Even isoprop can have bad effects on kidneys and liver.

[patricksparks]

On 9/27/2026 at 3:56 PM, JayW said:

I have been 3D printing parts for a few years now, using the Elegoo Saturn 2 printer - a MSLA (masked stereo lithography) type printer.  To date I have not done much of anything to protect my home from the potential of harmful fumes.  My printer resides in my little office which has a door, and all I have done until lately is to close the door while printing is taking place.  While in the past I actually worked in my office as printing was taking place, I avoid that now.  And, now I open the window in the office and have a small fan blow out the window to create a negative pressure effect, in the hopes that any fumes do not find their way in the house proper. 

 

Reading up on the potential health effects of 3D print fumes, well it makes for some scary reading.  And now I fear I am not doing nearly enough.  My question for all LSP'ers who are 3D printing - what do you do, if anything, to guard against potentially dangerous fumes from 3D printing?  

 

Hi Jay, I've been using this vinyl shroud for about 6 years now, works great. It has a tubular support frame inside, zippered front flap. Come with an exhaust fan , speed control for the fan and a led light bar and exhaust ducting. I bouht a low profile clothes dry window insert to put the ducting on. I can fit my Photon M7 and wash and cure both inside and run them both the same time if needed.

Pat