Question How air tight is the trident enclosure?

[holy-diver]

I am currently considering building a trident to sit in my office and was wondering if anyone could tell me how effective the seals on the enclosure/the filtration system are at trapping VOC's & PM 2.5. If you print ABS can you smell it outside of the enclosure?
TIA.

 

[NoGuru]

You could probably make is air tight as you wish. Use Neoprene instead of foam, and gaskets, or grommets around areas where wires run.
And Charcoal filters like the Nevermores will all help a bunch.

 

[claudermilk]

It's not super air tight unless you specifically try to build it that way.
I generally can't really smell the ABS until the print finishes and the exhaust fan fires up--which tells me I need to improve the filters in the rear fan box.
You best option is to place the printer away from where you sit. Not always possible I know (mine sits near me at the moment).

 

[jswilson64]

Even with filtration I'd probably not hang out around a printer while it's printing. VOCs are only part of the problem, you've also got microplastics in the air.

Maybe with a VOC filter like Nevermore in the printer, and put the printer inside another enclosure with a HEPA filter running...
Easier to put it in a closet or in the garage or something.

 

[holy-diver]

It's not super air tight unless you specifically try to build it that way.
I generally can't really smell the ABS until the print finishes and the exhaust fan fires up--which tells me I need to improve the filters in the rear fan box.
You best option is to place the printer away from where you sit. Not always possible I know (mine sits near me at the moment).

Even with filtration I'd probably not hang out around a printer while it's printing. VOCs are only part of the problem, you've also got microplastics in the air.

Maybe with a VOC filter like Nevermore in the printer, and put the printer inside another enclosure with a HEPA filter running...
Easier to put it in a closet or in the garage or something.

Unfortunately my living situation won't allow for that as space is limited. I think I'll end up putting it in an enclosure that recirculates air through an activated carbon filter and a hepa filter and monitor the PM2.5 level using a particle sensor. That way the solution is more general and I can end up swapping printers if necessary.

 

[evandepol]

@holy-diver I too had been concerned about styrene/particles/VOCs for some while, so i ended up using a hose connection setup that creates a slight negative pressure, and that vents any fumes outside via inexpensive 2.5" dust collection hose that is easy to run elsewhere (40 feet away in my case). I just uploaded the designs for my solder/airbrush/printing setup; details here if you are interested. This solution has completely eliminated any fumes and odors for me.