Exhaust Filter with HEPA and Activated Charcoal

thingiverse

Printing ABS is extremely unpleasant and the vapors are hazardous to my health. To address this, I designed an enclosure and installed a HEPA and activated charcoal filter. The filter I chose was originally made for a vacuum cleaner and is available from Amazon for approximately $14 USD. The fan is a 120mm Thermaltake Riing 12 Series High Static Pressure, also available from Amazon for about $13 USD. Above the fan and out of sight, I have another printed part that holds more activated carbon filter media. I bought and cut sheets and have them stacked six deep in the part named "Top Exhaust Filter Mount." The filter media is available from Amazon for approximately $8 USD. This gives me seven layers of activated carbon and a HEPA filter all for about $35 USD. Now I don't smell ABS fumes at all when I print. Installation did require me to drill a massive hole in the top of my printer. I used a 6 inch hole saw and drilled from both sides so the melamine was cut cleanly. I have the printer programmed to run the fan at 50% speed while the hotend is heating up. I initially ran it faster, but the heated bed was having trouble maintaining temperature due to excessive airflow. Now I try to run the fan at the slowest speed possible while still capturing all of the vapors. I originally thought that the light ring on the fan would be unsightly, but it allows me to not only see if the fan is running but also tells me how fast by how bright it is shining.