Are you worried about the effect that the fumes from your 3D printer are having on your health? Gary Peng is a San Diego based “high school student that makes stuff.” And his latest project tackles the issue of 3D printing fumes.
He explains: “3D printing is a relatively new technology, and its danger is often overlooked. The research on the toxicity of 3D printing is few and far between, but one thing is certain: harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted during 3D printing.”
His Smart 3D Printer Emission Monitor works by checking the air quality while you’re in the midst of 3D printing. It collects the data about VOC emissions, and the information is transmitted via WiFi to a smartphone app to notify the user if their workspace environment becomes toxic.
All of Peng’s products are 3D printed and come as DIY kits which need to be assembled, meaning you can customize, repair, and upgrade them yourself. The Smart 3D Printer Emission Monitor is no different. Check it out in the video below:
Simple Yet Clear – Green, Orange, and Red Warnings
Peng has built a Blynk user interface and kept the emission warning signs simple and easy to follow. Green is good, yellow is a warning to open a window, and red is bad news. As well as being alerted to potential problems, a user can also view historical graphs of VOC readings.
To collect VOC data, Peng uses a CCS811 gas sensor capable of detecting a wide range of VOCs, including the carcinogenic formaldehyde, and transmits that information to a Particle Photon. The IoT device then feeds the Blynk interface with the information gathered.
If you’re interested in building this yourself, Peng has the STL files and code available on Github, which you can access.
You can find the instructions, as well as the additional parts needed, to build the Smart 3D Printer Emission Monitor on Hackaday.
License: The text of "Smart DIY 3D Printer Sensor Measures Harmful Emissions" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.