I am very new to 3d printing/laser engraving but so far it is a ton of fun. But, big but… My only option for location is my living room with no real option to open windows long enough to vent the fumes. In Kansas it is currently 11 degrees so, yea. With that said, I have done some Googling and from what I can tell my only real option is to get a decent air purifier. I am not opposed to this if it really helps with the smell as well as any health issues the laser engraver might cause depending on the material. So, before I purchase an air purifier, I figured I would throw the question out here. Does anyone have any other ideas or am I going down the right path. Thanks and I appreciate any advice.
1 Like
You’ll laugh, but I feed my vacuum cleaner hose into the exhaust vent and when it gets bad, I turn on the fan and the vacuum and filter all the fumes through the dust-packed bag of the Hoover. Noisy, but its functional.
2 Likes
I’m in Canada (current local outside temperature -19⁰C), and still vent my unit out a window. You do need to take precautions to insulate everything, though, and have the Snapmaker in some kind of enclosure.
I have a semi-permanent window installation assembled from a section of chipboard, some of the packing foam my A150 came in, a cardboard liner, a 3D printed blast gate, and a short section of 3D-printed pseudo-duct that provides a tunnel through the chipboard-foam-cardboard sandwich. If I put my hand up against it, the portion inside the house is warmer than the surface of the window it sits in, so I figure it’s probably okay, although proper insulation foam might provide a better result. As things stand, I doubt it’s much worse than a dryer vent in terms of heat loss.
2 Likes
Here are links to STL for Exhaust Duct Adapter, and to the Filter I ordered on Amazon for it:
I’m actually just now (today) planning on hooking this up, so I cannot yet testify to its effectiveness, but I’m reasonably confident. 
2 Likes
For dust you need HEPA.
For fumes & smoke you need activated carbon.
So you really need a two stage system.
But it all depends on what you’re doing and what materials you’re using.
I would avoid printing abs without good ventilation. Other than that most filaments are supposed to be okay.
CNC is all dust and a lot of it.
Laser is dependent on your materials. Technically burning wood releases carcinogens, but the smell is what you’re probably more worried about.
I know quite a few people who have used filter systems for grow houses:
https://hydrobuilder.com/grow-room-environment/grow-room-odor-control-air-cleaner-filters/exhaust-filters.html
I have no experience with these. I cut a hole in side of my garage and vent to outside.
-S
1 Like
The filter I bought boasts / claims it’s a “3-in-1 True HEPA Filtration System, including Fine Preliminary Filter, H13 Medical Grade True HEPA Filter, and Activated Carbon Filter”
For any CNC I do, I’m aiming to use a by-hand-guided shop vac to grab up dust and shavings. It’s the laser work fumes and some filament fumes I am hopeful the filter will help with.
1 Like
Some of those grow-room filters you linked to are substantial!
1 Like
Some people are very avid ‘gardeners’.
BTW, that was just the first place that showed up when I googled. No idea on prices or if it’s overkill vs. what you can find on Amazon or elsewhere.
That should be fine. The hard part with a home system is knowing when to change the filters. Activated carbon has a finite lifespan and needs to be changed out regularly to insure effectiveness.
-S
2 Likes
I got these and will start on an adapter tomorrow. Clever idea, and thanks for the model.
Ok, so I got it done. I printed it large end down, and it failed when it started the cone. I kept that much, and started printing the rest from the small end. Then I glued both pieces together, surprisingly well, with gorilla glue. Appears to work great. It does have activated charcoal, but I’ve not yet tried it with anything noxious yet.
This piece took 20 hours for the large part, and 50 hours for the small end and the cone, for 70 hours total. I think it’s worth it, however.
Thanks for the model.
1 Like