Abstract Particle emission from fused-deposition modelling (FDM) desktop 3D printer has raised concerns regarding indoor personal health due to the increased accessibility of printers. This study characterises the size, number and morphology of the emitted particles to understand particle formation processes and propose guidelines for their abatement. The effects of extruder temperature, layer height, filament colour and shape of printing object on particle characteristics emitted from a desktop 3D printer have been investigated. For first time, a novel thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) method is developed to emulate printing process, which offers an insight into particle formation during extruder heating, standing-by and during the printing process. Printing temperature and printing layer height demonstrate a major effect on the ultra-fine particles (UFP) emitted, while ABS filament colour shows a minor effect on the nanoparticle emissions. Local temperature and concentration of volatile organic material emitted from the filament play an important role on the number of particles formed, while printing duration and air change rate (ACH) affect particle size, morphology and emission rate. The results provide guidelines to develop printing settings that will lead to lower UFP emissions for improved indoor air quality. The developed TGA method demonstrates the qualitative behaviour of particle emissions from a material under heating, which is approximately proportional to an FDM printers’ particle emissions; facilitating increased repeatability, time and cost efficiency for printing material assessment.

中文翻译：

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热塑性增材制造中颗粒排放的表征

摘要 由于打印机的可访问性增加，来自熔融沉积建模 (FDM) 桌面 3D 打印机的粒子发射引起了人们对室内个人健康的担忧。这项研究描述了发射粒子的大小、数量和形态，以了解粒子形成过程并提出减少它们的指导方针。已经研究了挤出机温度、层高、灯丝颜色和打印​​对象形状对桌面 3D 打印机发出的颗粒特性的影响。首次开发了一种新颖的热重分析 (TGA) 方法来模拟印刷过程，该方法可以深入了解挤出机加热、待机和印刷过程中的颗粒形成。印刷温度和印刷层高度对发射的超细颗粒 (UFP) 有主要影响，而 ABS 灯丝颜色对纳米颗粒排放的影响较小。灯丝排放的挥发性有机材料的局部温度和浓度对形成的颗粒数量起着重要作用，而打印持续时间和换气率 (ACH) 会影响颗粒尺寸、形态和排放速率。结果为开发打印设置提供了指南，这些设置将导致降低 UFP 排放以改善室内空气质量。开发的 TGA 方法演示了加热材料的颗粒排放的定性行为，这与 FDM 打印机的颗粒排放大致成正比；促进提高可重复性，