Emission Profiles of Volatiles during 3D Printing with ABS, ASA, Nylon, and PETG Polymer Filaments

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 27; no. 12; p. 3814
• Main Authors: Wojnowski, Wojciech, Marć, Mariusz, Kalinowska, Kaja, Kosmela, Paulina, Zabiegała, Bożena
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Norwegian
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 14.06.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: 3-D printers; 3D printing; ABS resins; Acrylonitrile; Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene; Aerosols; Chemical properties; Chromatography; Communication; Emissions; Fabrication; Filaments; Fused deposition modeling; Gas chromatography; indoor air; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Organic compounds; Polyethylene; Polyethylene terephthalate; Polymers; Printing; Reaction time; Scientific imaging; Spectroscopy; Styrene; Styrenes; Thermal degradation; thermoplastics; VOCs; Volatile compounds; Volatile organic compounds; Volatiles; Poland
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules27123814

In this short communication we characterize the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing using four polymer materials, namely polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified (PETG), acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA), Nylon, and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). Detailed emission profiles are obtained during thermal degradation of the polymers as a function of temperature and also in real-time during 3D printing. Direct quantitative measurement was performed using proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PTR-ToF-MS). Qualitative determination of the volatiles emitted from the printed elements at various temperatures was accomplished using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The emission rates of VOCs differ significantly between the different polymer filaments, with the emission from Nylon and PETG more than an order of magnitude lower than that of ABS.