Greetings to all. My old brain wants to start fine scale modeling again like I did when I was 8yo. 3D printing is going to be a game changer, if it already has not done so to the hobby industry. To that end I have been absorbing as much learning as my crothety brain can handle. So, my plan is to put all the following tools into a big, sealed, grow tent and vent the fumes and odors into a 5 gallon bucket with a carbon filter. UniFormation resin printer, resin cleaner, resin cure station, airbrush spraybooth, and lastly a dehydrator. The grow tent is over 7 feet tall but will be laid sideways so air can circulate around each device easily. An inline fan will suck the air out a vent in the top down a 10’ dryer vent tube to a large carbon filter. I would like your thoughts and ideas about this design. So happy to have found this forum; thanks for allowing me to be here.
I’d never present myself as an expert on this, but since there’s no other replies…
It seems to me you are overthinking it. Why not just vent the fumes into the attic or outside? I print and paint in my garage, the biggest problem for a modeler with that is transporting builds and parts back and forth, only one disaster so far.
PRINTING – I’ve been printing for a short time, and I do not have any issues with odors, using ABS/PLA/PETG/PETG-CF does not seem to matter much at all. Resin printing will have toxic fumes for sure, so that is a different animal entirely. my printer is on order so I cannot claim direct experience but I plan to wear a respirator and vent to the outdoors.
PAINTING – I use a waterfall paint booth, that filters fumes and toxins much better than fiber or foam filters. I cannot address carbon filter efficacy, but the water traps a lot based on how dirty it is after a session. I currently vent right into the room I am in and only wear a respirator when using lacquers. The smell is negligible, but I’ve not measured air quality.
I am building a manifold to be in between my devices in the near future. I mentioned the one vent I have outside, it goes through the (sheetrock) ceiling and into one of the soffit vents to the outside. Works great for a single device using dryer hose. But I want to vent the airbrush booth, the 3D printer (why not?) and the resin printer into the same outlet, My plan is to buy some square HVAC duct, attach it to the single round outlet in the ceiling, and have multiple round inlets for each of the three stink-makers.
Martin, welcome to the site. Look forward to seeing your models.
Unfortunately I have nothing to contribute about odor and safety. I use a spray booth and vent it outside. But if the weather is nice, the last 25 years I simply go outside for all my spraying. Even with that, I wear an OSHA respirator.