I know a guy who has had his printer three feet away from his PC for six years and has no complaints. I also know a guy who had to sell his printer after a month because he developed such a severe allergy to it.
Anecdotes like that aren't a good basis for decisions about your health and safety.
Resin printing for 2 years, 5 printers all in garage. Always wear gloves and I scrub my hands after every session. I go thru 3-5 1000kg bottles a week and have no issues. Printers are in grow tents venting outside and I keep the garage door open 10 hours a day weather permitting. Zero issues but sometimes in the garage it gets a bit stinky from resin smell
3 Saturn 2 8k that run almost non stop. 3 Mars2pro for bits and some bases. People at my flgs are always asking for stuff. I charge 1/2 retail to cover materials and my time. Still a deal to get a warhammer titan for 250 vs 500
Don't know where you live, but Costco generally has it cheaper than that. I order 4x500ml (about half gallon) 99% for $13 Canadian. I have to imagine it's even cheaper in the US
Very little long term exposure testing has been done for these specific VOCs/UV resin formulations. This subreddit is full of wildly varying anecdotes that are completely useless and have no scientific relevance.
At the end of the day, use common sense. Respect that you're working with a hazardous substance, minimize exposure where possible, and enjoy the hobby. We're exposed to potentially harmful things on a daily basis (seriously, if you ever get access to lab-grade air quality testing equipment, you'd be quite surprised what you'd find in any normal home, especially after someone has been using cleaning products), resin is nothing different.
I have been printing a few years. I have PPE but don't always use it. Best thing I found is chemical gloves from Lowe's. They are like dishwashing gloves but blue.
My current set up is in our spare bedroom. Wife says it smells, I don't notice it anymore. The IPA fumes feel more toxic to me than the resin smell.
I have a window nearby and can air out the room when needed. I usually keep the door closed when printing.
Like others have commented, you are working with chemicals, there are risks. I have spent my life working with cars and machines. I'm sure I have been exposed to much worse things than resin.
Be cautious and have fun 😊
Like 5 years printing in a crappy little apartment with barely adequate filtering + venting: no issues. Only recently upgraded my previous frankensteined setup.
That said, asking us if we've gotten sick yet isn't that useful in making the decision to jump into this hobby. Everyone reacts differently to the resins, they have different tolerances, have different allergies, etc. You could die in a month or you could last 40 years with nothing and then suddenly have kidney issues or something.
You can easily set up a venting solution for around $50 though, I did it recently and it's working fine. There may be some added costs depending on your environment, like maybe you need more hose or fans or a window adapter, but all that stuff is still pretty cheap.
I'll eventually make a simple guide on my [site here](https://undergroundjunkhole.square.site/3d-printing-supplies).
I'm kind of in the exact same position when it comes to workspace, 1 bedroom apartment with no real plan as of yet on how to tackle the ventilation. I do sleep in my living room so it for sure has to go in the bedroom (which is a music studio/gaming room that I spend a majority of my time in so that may not be too smart) but I will for sure implement a vigorous ventilation system (somehow). My thoughts are multiple high-quality carbon air filters, a dual-fan exhaust fixed to the window, ceiling fan blowing and 1 or 2 industrial fans blowing toward both windows. Only thing I'm unsure about is the physics on what the air flow will be actually doing with all the fans running (possibly negative pressure, etc. which could result in air just recirculating itself).
Yes, figuring out the airflow is important, it's a good idea to contact your local HVAC people and see if they will evaluate your workspace to give suggestions.
In general, put the fan as close to the window as possible so it's sucking air out the window, not pushing air out the enclosure. The sucking method (technical term is called "negative pressure" I think) prevents air from being pushed out any leaks in your system.
In my case it was simple because my printers are by the window already, and they both fit in the enclosure. I'm removing some prints right now and the fan is doing a good job of sucking everything out, similar to an airbrushing station. It's also reasonably quiet IMO once you have everything hooked up, because the enclosure and hose muffle the fan and suction noises.
Also, you can skip the filters since the VOCs will dissipate out in the open, but they may be a good idea of you're venting towards your neighbors or something. Filters are expensive in the long run too, that's why I stopped using them and switched to all venting.
Do the filters help with mitigating the smell? That's one of the main reason why I was planning on getting them. And carbon filters would be overkill for that specific purpose but figured having carbon could potentially help with VOC's and possible smell mitigation as well. Could be totally wrong there though.
Carbon filters do help with the smell, but they get saturated quickly. If you're going to go that route just for the smell, consider getting bags of activated charcoal pellets because you can "reactivate/renew" them periodically by leaving them in the sun and giving them a good rinse. They still have to be replaced periodically though.
The pellets alone aren't great for VOCs, a filter impregnated with the charcoal is much better because of the much larger charcoal surface area that is exposed, so it traps more of the VOCs in the air passing over it. (The pellets are great for aquariums though.)
Also bears mentioning, no smell does not equal no VOCs, VOCs can be odorless. This is why venting is recommended anyway.
Notes taken :)
But yeah, I'm for sure more concerned with air quality than odor and will be taking as much precaution I can. Is your apartment floor tile or carpet? I have carpet and wondering if the VOC's will soak into the carpet causing a potential permanent odor...
I have both, but I've been here like 20 years and we have a slumlord that never fixes anything, so a faint stink is the least of my worries lol
Worst case scenario you can rent a carpet cleaner for the day and clean your carpet.
From a VOC perspective, my setup is awful. Printer is in my room, not in a grow tent, and no proper fume extraction has been set up. That being said, I haven't noticed any respiratory issues in the 3 years I've been printing. Not to imply it's "safe" by any means, though.
I DO notice issues with skin contact. If I'm in a rush and forget to put on a long sleeve shirt before cleaning prints, the little specks of IPA that come off of my prints when I scrub them with a toothbrush end up itchy for about an hour, but that may be more of an IPA thing than a resin thing.
I've been printing since the form 1 came off Kickstarter. Been working in shops and doing prop making for a living for years. I've always tried my best to wear PPE. I would not recommend doing this inside your immediate living area. People can and do develop resin allergies over time. It's messy and takes a bunch of valuable desk space. You might be better off fdm printing to start but if you think you have the space - assess and see if it's for you.
Here's my copy and paste reply that I share with new folks. Feel free to compare my notes.
I think the workspace/upgrades section is probably worth looking through.
Your workspace is most important to get right before jumping right in, it's easy enough to just hit buy it now. You'll want to be prepared for the mess and post-processing that comes along with it. I'd start here if this is your [first resin printer.](https://www.asianjoyco.com/resources-tutorials/your-first-printer) I shared my considerations. There are newer printers out since I first wrote it. But the scope is still relevant.
Exposure mitigation falls into two realms usually. Ventilation and PPE. Passive Ventilation is better than no ventilation, Active ventilation is better than passive.
This is my [venting](https://www.asianjoyco.com/resources-tutorials/ventilation-upgrades-for-3d-resin-printing) setup - I showed what I did step by step, you can adjust it to your space/budget accordingly. You'll also want to wear [PPE](https://www.asianjoyco.com/resources-tutorials/resin-safety-101) when handling chemicals. In my experience resin emissions will stick to fabrics, papers, and land around your work area unless vented.
Appreciate that. What's your opinion on having a set up in a bedroom (I don't sleep in it) right by a window, windows open, couple air filters to hopefully mitigate smell, ceiling fan on and an industrial fan pointing toward the windows? Adequate enough or delusional?
Depend, if it's just a room that no one sleeps in or spend much time in- could be a good workspace. If it has carpet, you're going to have a bad day when resin spills on it or you're cutting supports and they fly and you never find them. Venting a small enclosure is much easier than cleaning the whole room. You could use an exhaust fan in conjunction with an enclosure. I have this kind of set up for my paint booth.
I know a guy who has had his printer three feet away from his PC for six years and has no complaints. I also know a guy who had to sell his printer after a month because he developed such a severe allergy to it. Anecdotes like that aren't a good basis for decisions about your health and safety.
Resin printing for 2 years, 5 printers all in garage. Always wear gloves and I scrub my hands after every session. I go thru 3-5 1000kg bottles a week and have no issues. Printers are in grow tents venting outside and I keep the garage door open 10 hours a day weather permitting. Zero issues but sometimes in the garage it gets a bit stinky from resin smell
3000 kg/wk is impressive
3 Saturn 2 8k that run almost non stop. 3 Mars2pro for bits and some bases. People at my flgs are always asking for stuff. I charge 1/2 retail to cover materials and my time. Still a deal to get a warhammer titan for 250 vs 500
I was joking, assume you mean 3 - 5 kg. Still an impressive amount
lol yeah I misread that. I try to order in volume when I find a deal but yes 3-5 a week. Isopropyl I just buy at Walmart, and that lasts me months
I've switched to buying 1gal jugs of IPA on Amazon, generally they run about $30 for 99.9% and a bit cheaper for 91
Don't know where you live, but Costco generally has it cheaper than that. I order 4x500ml (about half gallon) 99% for $13 Canadian. I have to imagine it's even cheaper in the US
The three near me (Raleigh NC) rarely have 90% in stock and it’s like 2 for 9$. It’s been months since we’ve seen it tho. I need to check Amazon again
Dudes gotta be running a business.
Very little long term exposure testing has been done for these specific VOCs/UV resin formulations. This subreddit is full of wildly varying anecdotes that are completely useless and have no scientific relevance. At the end of the day, use common sense. Respect that you're working with a hazardous substance, minimize exposure where possible, and enjoy the hobby. We're exposed to potentially harmful things on a daily basis (seriously, if you ever get access to lab-grade air quality testing equipment, you'd be quite surprised what you'd find in any normal home, especially after someone has been using cleaning products), resin is nothing different.
I get respiratory shit if I work in my garage while my printer is running without a respirator or the door open. It isn’t anything to play games with.
Fuuuuuck, and here I am scheming to set up a rig in a damn bedroom in my apartment.
Don't know what it takes to qualify as a veteran, but no problems here.
I have been printing a few years. I have PPE but don't always use it. Best thing I found is chemical gloves from Lowe's. They are like dishwashing gloves but blue. My current set up is in our spare bedroom. Wife says it smells, I don't notice it anymore. The IPA fumes feel more toxic to me than the resin smell. I have a window nearby and can air out the room when needed. I usually keep the door closed when printing. Like others have commented, you are working with chemicals, there are risks. I have spent my life working with cars and machines. I'm sure I have been exposed to much worse things than resin. Be cautious and have fun 😊
How do you clean your chemical gloves after use?
Easy. I dip them in my wash tank and wipe down with paper towels.
Like 5 years printing in a crappy little apartment with barely adequate filtering + venting: no issues. Only recently upgraded my previous frankensteined setup. That said, asking us if we've gotten sick yet isn't that useful in making the decision to jump into this hobby. Everyone reacts differently to the resins, they have different tolerances, have different allergies, etc. You could die in a month or you could last 40 years with nothing and then suddenly have kidney issues or something. You can easily set up a venting solution for around $50 though, I did it recently and it's working fine. There may be some added costs depending on your environment, like maybe you need more hose or fans or a window adapter, but all that stuff is still pretty cheap. I'll eventually make a simple guide on my [site here](https://undergroundjunkhole.square.site/3d-printing-supplies).
I'm kind of in the exact same position when it comes to workspace, 1 bedroom apartment with no real plan as of yet on how to tackle the ventilation. I do sleep in my living room so it for sure has to go in the bedroom (which is a music studio/gaming room that I spend a majority of my time in so that may not be too smart) but I will for sure implement a vigorous ventilation system (somehow). My thoughts are multiple high-quality carbon air filters, a dual-fan exhaust fixed to the window, ceiling fan blowing and 1 or 2 industrial fans blowing toward both windows. Only thing I'm unsure about is the physics on what the air flow will be actually doing with all the fans running (possibly negative pressure, etc. which could result in air just recirculating itself).
Yes, figuring out the airflow is important, it's a good idea to contact your local HVAC people and see if they will evaluate your workspace to give suggestions. In general, put the fan as close to the window as possible so it's sucking air out the window, not pushing air out the enclosure. The sucking method (technical term is called "negative pressure" I think) prevents air from being pushed out any leaks in your system. In my case it was simple because my printers are by the window already, and they both fit in the enclosure. I'm removing some prints right now and the fan is doing a good job of sucking everything out, similar to an airbrushing station. It's also reasonably quiet IMO once you have everything hooked up, because the enclosure and hose muffle the fan and suction noises. Also, you can skip the filters since the VOCs will dissipate out in the open, but they may be a good idea of you're venting towards your neighbors or something. Filters are expensive in the long run too, that's why I stopped using them and switched to all venting.
Do the filters help with mitigating the smell? That's one of the main reason why I was planning on getting them. And carbon filters would be overkill for that specific purpose but figured having carbon could potentially help with VOC's and possible smell mitigation as well. Could be totally wrong there though.
Carbon filters do help with the smell, but they get saturated quickly. If you're going to go that route just for the smell, consider getting bags of activated charcoal pellets because you can "reactivate/renew" them periodically by leaving them in the sun and giving them a good rinse. They still have to be replaced periodically though. The pellets alone aren't great for VOCs, a filter impregnated with the charcoal is much better because of the much larger charcoal surface area that is exposed, so it traps more of the VOCs in the air passing over it. (The pellets are great for aquariums though.) Also bears mentioning, no smell does not equal no VOCs, VOCs can be odorless. This is why venting is recommended anyway.
Notes taken :) But yeah, I'm for sure more concerned with air quality than odor and will be taking as much precaution I can. Is your apartment floor tile or carpet? I have carpet and wondering if the VOC's will soak into the carpet causing a potential permanent odor...
I have both, but I've been here like 20 years and we have a slumlord that never fixes anything, so a faint stink is the least of my worries lol Worst case scenario you can rent a carpet cleaner for the day and clean your carpet.
Hahaha the slumlord. Are VOC's from IPA's just as harmful as the VOC's from resin?
I couldn't compare toxicities, but read up on isopropyl alcohol poisoning at least. Don't splash around in it, don't breathe it in.
sometimes i accidently go from touching my liquid resin to putting my hand in a bag of cheetos.
Now that's a certified Veteran printer.
just dont get the resin filled ipa on your skin, resin or alcohol isn't immediately bad, resin + alcohol goes right through your skin
Plenty of negative health changes but nothing that can be linked to printing.
From a VOC perspective, my setup is awful. Printer is in my room, not in a grow tent, and no proper fume extraction has been set up. That being said, I haven't noticed any respiratory issues in the 3 years I've been printing. Not to imply it's "safe" by any means, though. I DO notice issues with skin contact. If I'm in a rush and forget to put on a long sleeve shirt before cleaning prints, the little specks of IPA that come off of my prints when I scrub them with a toothbrush end up itchy for about an hour, but that may be more of an IPA thing than a resin thing.
I've been printing since the form 1 came off Kickstarter. Been working in shops and doing prop making for a living for years. I've always tried my best to wear PPE. I would not recommend doing this inside your immediate living area. People can and do develop resin allergies over time. It's messy and takes a bunch of valuable desk space. You might be better off fdm printing to start but if you think you have the space - assess and see if it's for you. Here's my copy and paste reply that I share with new folks. Feel free to compare my notes. I think the workspace/upgrades section is probably worth looking through. Your workspace is most important to get right before jumping right in, it's easy enough to just hit buy it now. You'll want to be prepared for the mess and post-processing that comes along with it. I'd start here if this is your [first resin printer.](https://www.asianjoyco.com/resources-tutorials/your-first-printer) I shared my considerations. There are newer printers out since I first wrote it. But the scope is still relevant. Exposure mitigation falls into two realms usually. Ventilation and PPE. Passive Ventilation is better than no ventilation, Active ventilation is better than passive. This is my [venting](https://www.asianjoyco.com/resources-tutorials/ventilation-upgrades-for-3d-resin-printing) setup - I showed what I did step by step, you can adjust it to your space/budget accordingly. You'll also want to wear [PPE](https://www.asianjoyco.com/resources-tutorials/resin-safety-101) when handling chemicals. In my experience resin emissions will stick to fabrics, papers, and land around your work area unless vented.
Appreciate that. What's your opinion on having a set up in a bedroom (I don't sleep in it) right by a window, windows open, couple air filters to hopefully mitigate smell, ceiling fan on and an industrial fan pointing toward the windows? Adequate enough or delusional?
Depend, if it's just a room that no one sleeps in or spend much time in- could be a good workspace. If it has carpet, you're going to have a bad day when resin spills on it or you're cutting supports and they fly and you never find them. Venting a small enclosure is much easier than cleaning the whole room. You could use an exhaust fan in conjunction with an enclosure. I have this kind of set up for my paint booth.