3D Printer Air filter

thingiverse

I figured I'd share this in case others are interested in their health too. Some say PLA fumes are harmless, but I'm not convinced that reducing intake isn't a good idea. When starting a printing run of several objects, I often get a burning sensation at the back of my throat - it's like smoking 40 a day! Here's what I did: I covered the printer with 3mm clear acrylic, making use of the bolt holes on the chassis. The front was designed to detach easily. The top was sealed with clear silicone for a bit more security. I cut a 30mm hole in the top piece and added four fixing holes, then sandwiched it between these two models (with the filter side down). The fan is a 60mm, 12-volt PC case fan with 50mm fixings. I threaded four holes to take M5 cap head bolts. The whole setup was designed to accommodate 3M's face mask range of filters, so I tried the 2091 first but it didn't quite do the trick. Then I switched to a 6055 and couldn't smell anything from the printer - pure bliss, no sore throat! The fan creates enough negative pressure to draw in outside air without creating a draft. Of course, there are more scientific ways to measure air quality, but I'm stuck relying on my nose for now. To keep it flat, I added some mouse ears - just cut them off!