Firstly we want to point out that all our products are safe! We typically use PLA+ for our organisers which uses sugar cane or corn starch. For some items we may print in PETG (food grade plastics) or where we need crazy strength Polycarbonate (bullet proof shields). All our resin prints are cleaned, and properly cured and considered safe.
Manufacturing 3D prints requires careful adherence to safety protocols. We have small children that often want to help out in our business or print their own toys! As such we need to be extra cautious with these little ones. So we ensure strict safety regulations to ensure none of us get hurt. Some risks are just not worth it!
With the easy availability of 3D printers entering the home environment, its sad to see that so many ignoring the safe protocols of printing. Certain plastics are toxic and can generate toxic fumes when printing. Once resin is cured its completely safe, considered safe enough to eat from, but uncured Resin is toxic and harmful to your body. We ensure our prints are handled appropriately when they transition through these states. Printing at high temperatures can be a fire risk, and burns can occur from melted plastic or hot ends on the printers. Know the risks, and ensure you put in mitigations to ensure the safety of yourself and others around you.
Firstly we have chosen to print in quality PLA+ or PETG plastics. These are the safest plastics and do not contain highly toxic fumes. PETG plastic is what is often used in drink bottles and is considered food safe. PLA+ is an oil based plastic typically made up of corn starches or sugar cane. Whilst we have other plastics such as ABS we typically refrain from using these as they are harsher to the environment and carry toxic fumes. That said sometimes you have to use the plastic that is suitable for the job. We find PLA+ prints gives a professional results for board game accessories and organisers, so most of our prints will use this plastic. It is very safe but If you are sanding our products we suggest you wear an appropriate dust mask.
When we paint we use quality model Acrylic paint either Army Painter or Vallejo paints, as this avoids the often heavy fumes you can get when painting in modelling oils wit the added benefit the paint dries much quicker. With the quality acrylic paint now available you can get very professional results. We then seal our painted items to keep them safe and protected.
We ensure fire alarms and cabon monoxide alarms are installed and operational throughout our home and workshop areas. We have fire extinguishes and blankets easily accessible. We also ensure our workshop alarms are connected to our living area alarms, so we can hear them should an alarm be sounded. We also practice fire escape routines for our family so the kids know what to do in a fire. Last thing we want is a fire that we are not prepared for. Prusa 3D printers also have some great safety features in this area, ensuring prints are halted on crash detections, and that hot ends are cooled after inactivity. We have also fire proofed our printing area by installing Fireproof foam\reflective insulation around the FDM printers.
Then there is resin! Whilst resin is safe once it is cured, this stuff you need to be prepared for in its uncured form. Uncured it is toxic and simply getting it on your skin can cause a reaction. I've seen videos of people printing SLA printers in their dining room! Do not print anywhere near your living quarters especially where you prepare food.. Its just not worth the risk. We recommend a separate room inaccessible by children that is well ventilated for resin printing. We have our resin printers in a separate outdoor shed that is locked away, that is fitted with a ventilation system and suitable work area. We then have thought out particular safety protocols for all resin printing:
1) Keep printing area clean at all times
2) Use appropriate PPE equipment. Nitrile safety gloves, safety goggles and mask that filters toxic gasses when handling uncured resin.
3) Have auxiliary ventilation system to remove any harmful toxic fumes
4) Have a full process and steps laid out from starting a print, to removing, then cleaning and curing.
5) Each item in workshop listed as Clean or Unclean. What items are contaminated and ones that should not.
6) Dispose of any items immediately such as paper towels, cloths etc. that could hold uncured resin.
7) Wash and cure all 3D Prints as soon as possible so they are safe and store in a separate area.
Safety Guidelines we like to follow on Resin printing here:
A good safety video on the chemical and toxicity of resin explained by a Chemist is here:
Note: 3D tokens, upgraded items and organisers are in no way affiliated or endorsed by the producers of the board games we are designing organisers and components for. Artwork is completely original and designed in our own imagination and style from scratch. Our coming soon blog is sometimes used as a thoughts process in our design work and are experimental or conceptual for the board games we own. They may not become available for sale and are purely conceptual. As with all art work and creativity process, some things work out, some we trash, some we shelve, or only use for ourselves. Before we decide to make a product available we carefully assess if they are suitable to sell, that they pass certain criteria, including but not limited to play testing, durability testing, printing feasibility, effort, and any other costs associated to sell or produce and share. We are a very small business so we do not have the means sometimes to make these available, but our enjoyment comes in this hobby from others enjoying the creations we have made. If you like our creations we would love to hear from you.