Title
Workplace Exposure to Dust Emissions in Additive Manufacturing with an FFF Method
Authors
[ 1 ] Instytut Technologii Materiałów, Wydział Inżynierii Mechanicznej, Politechnika Poznańska | [ P ] employee
Scientific discipline (Law 2.0)
Year of publication
2025
Article type
scientific article
Publication language
english
Keywords
EN
- occupational exposure
- particulate matter
- Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF)
Abstract
EN This article presents the results of research on dust emissions generated by the additive manufacturing process (3D printing) using an FFF method and its impact on the human work environment. The study utilized filaments from three manufacturers in three color variants: neutral, yellow, and black, all made from polylactic acid (PLA), one of the most commonly used polymers in FFF processes. The findings indicated that dust emission levels vary significantly depending on the selection of printing process parameters and the type of filament used. Among the process parameters, the extruder temperature and nozzle diameter have the greatest influence on emission levels. It was shown that at high temperatures and with a small nozzle diameter, the emission level can exceed values hazardous to human health within a short printing time. The maximum recorded Dust Emission Intensity Index (DEII) reached 1058 µg/h when printing with black PLA filament under high-temperature conditions (225 °C, 0.4 mm nozzle). Under these parameters, the predicted dust concentration in a 29 m3 room without ventilation exceeded the WHO limit of 50 µg/m3 for PM10 after approximately 98 min of continuous operation. These results indicate that even desktop-scale FFF printing can pose a measurable risk to indoor air quality when unfavorable process settings are applied.
Date of online publication
29.10.2025
Pages (from - to)
3470-1 - 3470-18
Comments
Article Number: 3470
License type
CC BY (attribution alone)
Open Access Mode
open journal
Open Access Text Version
final published version
Date of Open Access to the publication
at the time of publication
Ministry points / journal
70
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