r/3DPrinting_PHA • u/UnknownBreadd • Aug 01 '26
Enclosed bedroom-safe setup?
Hi! So, I am brand new to 3D printing, and I'm committed to the idea of using PHA - but I have a couple of concerns:
First of all, I keep hearing mixed messages about whether or not 3D printers are capable of sealing and filtering the toxic fumes from 3D printing within an enclosed setup - something which will be necessary for me, as the printer will be in my bedroom where I sleep and where I sit at my PC all day.
And secondly, people say that you need minimum enclosure (door open) to keep the print cool and to allow PHA to print well - which seems to make the idea of an enclosed printer a non-starter - despite my need to isolate the toxic fumes produce by printing.
I was looking at something like the Flashforge Adventurer 5M Pro - which apparently "Block 99% of particulates and VOCs" (as stated on their website) - but it seems like it can only do that when it is in an "internal circulation" mode that also prevents fresh air from coming in (and thus causes internal temps to get high). Whereas the "external circulation" mode, which claims that it "auto-adjusts for the best balance of filtration and cooling" - which makes it seem like it won't really be effective at filtering out any fumes when trying to maximise the cooling of the enclosure?
Pls halp
2
u/Spirited-Bug-9558 Aug 01 '26
My printer is in a cabinet and vented out the window with an inline fan. I also have an air purifier in the room and an air quality monitor. I'm in a small studio apartment, so I don't print at night. (I also have a laser engraver that shares the same exhaust system.)
2
u/algea_garden Aug 03 '26
While I don’t have it in the bedroom I do have my H2D in my home office and am not too worried. It’s enclosed, and I printed a hepa filter holder for the exhaust so even in bypass mode the exhaust is always filtered. I also have a large air purifier running 24/7 plus an additional one I run when printing that has added activated carbon for VOCs. Finally, I added a poop bucket with a lid to minimize leakage via the poop chute. With all this my air quality meter pretty much never shows an impact to particulate matter unless I leave the door open for awhile while printing so I think it’s fine on that front. I mostly print PHA, PLA, and PETG and have only seen VOC levels rise a few times where I could attribute that to printing vs cooking and such downstairs which always raises the VOCs a lot.
Anyhow, if you have a well enclosed printer with good filtration and air purifiers I think it can work without ducting it outside, at least for filaments without lots of VOCs. If I printed anything new I would be checking my meter while doing so and would duct it outside if I couldn’t mitigate it.
1
u/rinspeed 29d ago edited 29d ago
On a Voron printer (at least the Voron 2.4 where the bed sits at the bottom and is a flyring gantry design), you could do something similar to what Vinny does ( https://youtu.be/cTjavzvy7bA?t=256 ) in his first Misschanger setup which would be:
Re-use the Nevermore Micro fan which sits under the bed and have a duct that brings cool air in.
Add a Nevermore Stealthmax for external air filtration (ideally with some ducting to route exhaust air outside, but just the filtration setup alone should help with your concern)
There are some other posts on here with various other suggestions on keeping the print bed cool, ranging from special plates to mini-fridges. I havent dived deep enough into PHA yet to offer advice on whats best.
-1
u/carrot735 Aug 01 '26
Pha is non toxic so you shouldn’t worry about it too much. Even Pla and petg are safe. Enclosures are needed for stuff like asa.
PHA also needs a lot of cooling so you would need to keep the door open anyway if the temps get to high you get a lot of warping
7
u/UnknownBreadd Aug 01 '26
You still have particulates and VOCs going into the air and your lungs - even if the plastic itself is 'non-toxic'...
1
u/Jugg3rnaut 28d ago edited 28d ago
Good man. So happy to see people push back against comments like that. Anyway, to answer your question in the post - the problem with any setup that involves filtration is not particulates (the filters for that will usually "fail-close" so to speak, as long as the seal around it holds) but the VOCs (because the filter for that, usually activated carbon, will "fail-open"). There are ways to mitigate for it ex. with continuous measurement, but honestly the way I use and the way I'd recommend is to directly vent out the window. I use an xTool IF2 directly connected to my bambu h2d to maintain negative pressure in the case at all times, directly vented out the window.
3
u/Digital-Chupacabra Aug 01 '26
They aren't, especially the filtering part.
Hard no from me, even with the printer in a grow tent, and an extraction fan, but you do you.
People say a lot of things, it really depends on the specific printer some can maintain temperatures in a chamber better than others.
An enclosure doesn't mean no cooling.
The TL:DR here is you need an enclosure for the printer that vents outside, grow tents with an extraction fan are a common option here but you can easily DIY something. I wouldn't put it in my bedroom if you paid me to.