Is 3D Printing Safe for My Children?

A lot of parents, like me, have questions regarding the safety of 3D printing for their children. I did some research before purchasing a 3D printer for my kids and share what I found here in this post.

3D printing does present some safety issues for children, especially with regards to fumes & microscopic particles discharged from the printer as a byproduct of the printing process. There are also some risks due to moving parts and the hot end that extrudes the melted filament. However, I feel confident as a parent of younger children, that some reasonably simple measures & precautions can be taken to greatly mitigate and reduce such risks. Steps such as locating the printer outside of your living quarters, buying a FULLY ENCLOSED FDM printer, using only PLA filament, buying a printer with a built-in webcam (or setting up an OctoPrint) so the children can remotely monitor the printer, and always supervising the children’s use of the 3D printer.

A quick safety overview of 3D printing for the beginner, with definitive steps & strategies to ensure the safety of your kids!

Introduction

When I was doing my research before buying our first 3D printer for our kids, I was a little dismayed to discover that there were some safety and health risks with regards to these fascinating machines. Since my 10 year old daughter was very interested in this field I was bound and determined to figure out a way to mitigate the health and safety risks I learned about.

What are the Safety & Health Risks Associated with 3D Printing?

Well, to answer this question it is probably first necessary to distinguish between the 2 types of printers that are commonly available at the consumer level and used in homes – which are FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) and SLA (StereoLithography Apparatus).

FDM Style 3D Printing

FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) is sometimes referred to as FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication) printing and is the more common type of 3D printers that consumers typically purchase. It is a printing process that generally involves having the printing head (extruder nozzle) heat up and melt a filament of thermoplastic material that passes through head and is then deposited in a predetermined pattern in successive layers to form the 3 dimensional object.

SLA Style 3D Printing

SLA, although an older 3D printing process, is not as commonly engaged in at a consumer level. It involves using a ultraviolet laser to polymerize a liquid resin (photopolymerization) layer by layer to form the 3D object.

Health & Safety Concerns with FDM Printing

With regards to FDM printing, the primary health concern is that some of the filaments, when heated and used in printing 3D models, produce fumes that contain toxic substances. (ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) in particular, but PLA (PolyLactic Acid), to a lesser extent, as well) contain VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) which are released along with nanoparticles of dust as a by-product of the 3D printing process, and breathing these materials can present health concerns.

One of the primary safety concerns for children using FDM 3D printers are related to the moving parts of the the printer and that small, curious fingers can find their way between moving parts and catch their fingers.

The second safety concern related to FDM 3D printers is the hot end that extrudes the melted plastic filament and the build plate, if heated. The build plate may be heated to temperatures around 65° (~150° F), while the temperatures of the hot end can easily exceed 200° C (~400° F)! These temperatures, especially that of the hot end, are obviously dangerously hot – and not something that you would want your children touching with their precious little hands!

Health Concerns with SLA Printing

In contrast, the primary concerns with regards to SLA 3D printing, are related to handling the uncured resin without skin protection and the resin being absorbed into the skin.

If the resin is absorbed into the skin and then subsequently exposed to sunlight – it undergoes a chemical reaction (curing) under the skin surface. Having this foreign substance in the body my lead to immune system issues / allergies / multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome….

There may also be some concerns regarding the inhalation of the resin fumes – although there has not, ostensibly, been much research done in this area yet.

Suggested Measures to Mitigate & Reduce 3D Printing Health Risks

FDM 3D Printing

After doing my research, these are the measure I would recommend the following steps to help reduce & mitigate the safety concerns (of the hot & moving parts) and health risks associated with the potentially toxic fumes produced as a byproduct of FDM 3D Printing:

Purchase a fully enclosed 3D printer if you have small children and are worried they might find the printer too irresistible to refrain from probing and touching it with their little fingers! If you need some ideas for a few excellent fully enclosed 3D printers for any budget – please see my post here: Best 3D Printers for Children 8-12 Years Old
Locate the printer outside the living quarters.
Minimize or eliminate the use of ABS filament – because it is the most problematic with regards to harmful dust and fumes. I have seen some literature indicating it emits about 33 times the noxious VOCs that PLA filament does!!
Require children to be supervised at all times when using the printer.
If using any filament other than PLA, require children to wear a NIOSH (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) P100 certified air mask when using the printer.
Build a sealed plexiglass enclosure around the printer to reduce the amount of dust & fumes released into your house.
Purchase a Raspberry Pi & install OctoPrint – so you can control, start, and stop the printer through your web browser from a different room. See my post here for step-by-step instructions on how to build your own OctoPrint from a Raspberry Pi.
Purchase and run a hospital-grade air filtration unit in the room that printer is located if you are forced to have the 3D printer in your living quarters. Something that has a both a HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) and VOC removing/destroying filter.
Wipe up any dust and debris after a print with a moist paper towel and dispose. Use a HEPA certified vacuum when cleaning up waste materials around the printer and its enclosure that can’t easily be wiped up.

SLA 3D Printing

Some of these recommendations are similar to those mentioned above for FDM printing – but I did tailor it to some of the more specific health concerns associated with SLA 3D printing!

I really would not recommend a SLA printer for your first 3D printer or for children. The entire printing and curing process is MUCH more involved and it involves a lot of consumables and issues (nitrile gloves, iso-propyl alcohol, containers to wash objects, disposal of post wash iso-propyl alcohol, etc).

However, if you are determined to try it – here are my recommendations:

Locate the printer outside the living quarters.
Always require children to wear nitrile gloves when handling resin, or even better – don’t allow children to handle resin at all until fully cured. (Adult only)
Please note: Even after the printing process is completed for SLA printing – not all the resin is completely cured and gloves should still be worn when handling printed models until fully cleaned and cured!
Require children to be supervised at all times when using the printer.
Require children to wear a NIOSH (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) P100 certified air mask when using the printer (if you are concerned about the toxicity of resin fumes).
Build a sealed plexiglass enclosure around the printer to reduce the resin fumes released into your house.
Purchase and run a hospital grade air filtration unit in the room that printer is located. Something that has a both a HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) and VOC removing filter.

Conclusion

Although there are definitely some safety & health concerns related to 3D printing (SLA printing, in particular) I think there are some reasonably easy measures and strategies you can use to mitigate most risks.

Since I am admittedly a toxic-phobe – I will be taking at least most, if not all, of the above outlined measures to ensure my children’s safety!

We will most likely only have a FDM printer (as opposed to an SLA printer) at this time and it will be located in the garage or basement. We will only use PLA filament (at least initially), and I certainly won’t have the kids using the 3D printer without adult supervision.

Better safe than sorry is my philosophy when it comes to my children’s health & safety. But my philosophy is also to TEACH the children to take care of themselves and look after their own safety and well-being – so I will be explaining to them why each of the measures is being taken and what they are designed to achieve.

I wouldn’t let these safety challenges prevent my children from engaging in this hobby, since I think that 3D printing is both a fascinating developing area, and that this technology will become increasingly important in their future. Therefore, it is something that is worth me spending a little time and money to make sure that they can gain some knowledge & experience with this amazing technology in a safe & controlled environment.

Sincerely,