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The diversity of fused filament fabrication (FFF) filaments continues to grow rapidly as the popularity of FFF-3D desktop printers for the use as home fabrication devices has been greatly increased in the past decade. Potential harmful emissions and associated health risks when operating indoors have induced many emission studies. However, the lack of standardization of measurements impeded an objectifiable comparison of research findings. Therefore, we designed a chamber-based standard method, i.e., the strand printing method (SPM), which provides a standardized printing procedure and quantifies systematically the particle emission released from individual FFF-3D filaments under controlled conditions. Forty-four marketable filament products were tested. The total number of emitted particles (TP) varied by approximately four orders of magnitude (1E9 ≤ TP ≤ 1E13), indicating that origin of polymers, manufacturer-specific additives, and undeclared impurities have a strong influence. Our results suggest that TP characterizes an individual filament product and particle emissions cannot be categorized by the polymer type (e.g., PLA or ABS) alone. The user's choice of a filament product is therefore decisive for the exposure to released particles during operation. Thus, choosing a filament product awarded for low emissions seems to be an easily achievable preemptive measure to prevent health hazards.
Safety experts, carriers or traders must be able to rely on the validity of the method and on correct results of safety tests and assessments in the laboratory.
Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –prüfung (BAM), Berlin and Physikalisch-Technischen Bundesanstalt (PTB), Braunschweig have extensive experience in the field of testing and assessment of physical hazards of chemicals.
Interlaboratory tests on different test methods have been performed by BAM and PTB during the last 10 years. Significant differences between the results of the participating laboratories were observed in all interlaboratory test. The deviations of the test results were not caused only by laboratory faults but also by deficiencies of the test method; i.e. many of the method descriptions are too ambiguous and allow divergences for interpretation.
Therefore, it is necessary to know exactly how good the method is that is used to classify dangerous goods or hazardous substances or to determine safety-relevant parameters. A key criterion is the measurement uncertainty.
One can choose simple methods with large error limits, but the measurement uncer-tainties should be known and always communicated together with the test results. This would allow safety specialists to be able to assess test results correctly and make well-founded decisions, e.g. for adequate protective measures.
Interlaboratory tests play a decisive role in assessing the reliability of test results. Participation in interlaboratory tests is not only a crucial element of the quality as-surance of laboratories; as such it is explicitly recommended in DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025. In addition, interlaboratory tests are also used to develop and validate test methods and can be used for the determination of the measurement uncertainty.
Therefore, the BAM and PTB continue to support the further development of the interlaboratory test programme of CEQAT-DGHS (Centre for quality assurance for testing of dangerous goods and hazardous substances, www.ceqat-dghs.bam.de), established in 2007. This programme is run by BAM in collaboration with the PTB and the QuoData Gesellschaft für Qualitätsmanagement und Statistik mbH, Dresden.
A new interlaboratory test for methods validation on the test method UN Test N.5 "Test method for substances which in contact with water emit flammable gases” is currently being prepared and will be carried out in 2018. Laboratories that specialise in this test are invited to participate in the interlaboratory test. Interested laboratories can check the details and register to participate in the interlaboratory test at the CEQAT-DGHS website.