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Angi Chau
Apr 30, 2015, 7:40:01 PM4/30/15
to k-12-f...@googlegroups.com
This thread of discussion was just posted to another mailing list of tech folks and I thought I'd pass it along... start reading from the bottom and check out the attached photo for the full context.
So crazy! Definitely the first time I've heard of a 3D printer going up in flames...now I'm extra glad we stuck this label on our Makerbot telling kids not to leave the printer running overnight!
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Kenton Hoover <kaho...@tehiyah.org>
Date: Thu, Apr 30, 2015 at 4:32 PM
Subject: Re: [baisnet] 3D printer meltdown
To: gaspo lists <li...@1sky.com>
Cc: Baisnet <bai...@albert.sacredsf.org>
Good and clean filament won't ignite easily. However, cheap or
contaminated will. Ask me how I know...
You should never leave a laser cutter unattended because if you start
a fire, the smoke will require the mirrors all to be cleaned and can
sometimes cause reflections back into the laser tube (which is bad for
it). Almost all laser fires can be snuffed out just by cutting the
power though.
On Thu, Apr 30, 2015 at 11:23 AM, gaspo lists <li...@1sky.com> wrote:
> wow, that is the first ive ever hear of that the whole thing went up.
>
> regularly, the head gets jammed. most just leaves a mess.
> but, a jammed head on high heat can ignite the filament,
> that's kinda hard to do. ignite temp of most filaments is >350F,
> so that had to have gotten REALLY hot at the heater/head to do that.
>
> if you had a spool of filament hooked up that did NOT melt,
> i'd look other than the head for start of the fire.
>
> i would give a VERY close look at the power supply
> and the motor driver boards.
> all the high current DC lines, fuses, etc.
>
> did you have a heated deck too?
>
> another reason to get METAL machines there.
>
> please post ANYTHING you learn on this,
> and what model/make was it?
>
> in industry, machines like this get their own cabinet,
> with positive venting, insulation (keep 'em warm), and sound proofing.
> most always the cabinets are IP rated for fire/caustics/etc.
> just crack the door and squirt fire extinguisher inside kinda containment.
>
>
> --gaspo.
>
>
>
> On Apr 30, 2015, at 08:39 , Ed FitzGerald wrote:
>
>> We left an unattended 3D printer in the science room overnight. In the morning there was a pile of ash/soot on the science table and the concrete floor--worse, there was a layer of black film that permeated everything in the room (repainted room, replaced ceiling tiles, removed and cleaned everything, even tin the drawers and cupboards! See attached pic).
>>
>> Q1: how common are 3D printer fires/meltdowns?
>>
>> Q2: looking of suggestions on best practices for physical setup (fire-resistant tops, concrete-floor under table, hoods, etc).
>>
>> We want to set up a new 3D printer area that would contain any contain any problems running unattended (unattended means anytime, even during school day).
>>
>> Thanks for your help!
>>
>> Ed FitzGerald
>> Director of Technology
>> Sonoma Country Day School
>> 4400 Day School PL
>> Santa Rosa, Ca 95403
>> 707.284.3224
>> <20150409_084123.jpg>_______________________________________________
>> baisnet mailing list
>> bai...@albert.sacredsf.org
>> http://albert.sacredsf.org/mailman/listinfo/baisnet
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> baisnet mailing list
> bai...@albert.sacredsf.org
> http://albert.sacredsf.org/mailman/listinfo/baisnet
>
_______________________________________________
baisnet mailing list
bai...@albert.sacredsf.org
http://albert.sacredsf.org/mailman/listinfo/baisnet
From: Kenton Hoover <kaho...@tehiyah.org>
Date: Thu, Apr 30, 2015 at 4:32 PM
Subject: Re: [baisnet] 3D printer meltdown
To: gaspo lists <li...@1sky.com>
Cc: Baisnet <bai...@albert.sacredsf.org>
Good and clean filament won't ignite easily. However, cheap or
contaminated will. Ask me how I know...
You should never leave a laser cutter unattended because if you start
a fire, the smoke will require the mirrors all to be cleaned and can
sometimes cause reflections back into the laser tube (which is bad for
it). Almost all laser fires can be snuffed out just by cutting the
power though.
On Thu, Apr 30, 2015 at 11:23 AM, gaspo lists <li...@1sky.com> wrote:
> wow, that is the first ive ever hear of that the whole thing went up.
>
> regularly, the head gets jammed. most just leaves a mess.
> but, a jammed head on high heat can ignite the filament,
> that's kinda hard to do. ignite temp of most filaments is >350F,
> so that had to have gotten REALLY hot at the heater/head to do that.
>
> if you had a spool of filament hooked up that did NOT melt,
> i'd look other than the head for start of the fire.
>
> i would give a VERY close look at the power supply
> and the motor driver boards.
> all the high current DC lines, fuses, etc.
>
> did you have a heated deck too?
>
> another reason to get METAL machines there.
>
> please post ANYTHING you learn on this,
> and what model/make was it?
>
> in industry, machines like this get their own cabinet,
> with positive venting, insulation (keep 'em warm), and sound proofing.
> most always the cabinets are IP rated for fire/caustics/etc.
> just crack the door and squirt fire extinguisher inside kinda containment.
>
>
> --gaspo.
>
>
>
> On Apr 30, 2015, at 08:39 , Ed FitzGerald wrote:
>
>> We left an unattended 3D printer in the science room overnight. In the morning there was a pile of ash/soot on the science table and the concrete floor--worse, there was a layer of black film that permeated everything in the room (repainted room, replaced ceiling tiles, removed and cleaned everything, even tin the drawers and cupboards! See attached pic).
>>
>> Q1: how common are 3D printer fires/meltdowns?
>>
>> Q2: looking of suggestions on best practices for physical setup (fire-resistant tops, concrete-floor under table, hoods, etc).
>>
>> We want to set up a new 3D printer area that would contain any contain any problems running unattended (unattended means anytime, even during school day).
>>
>> Thanks for your help!
>>
>> Ed FitzGerald
>> Director of Technology
>> Sonoma Country Day School
>> 4400 Day School PL
>> Santa Rosa, Ca 95403
>> 707.284.3224
>> <20150409_084123.jpg>_______________________________________________
>> baisnet mailing list
>> bai...@albert.sacredsf.org
>> http://albert.sacredsf.org/mailman/listinfo/baisnet
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> baisnet mailing list
> bai...@albert.sacredsf.org
> http://albert.sacredsf.org/mailman/listinfo/baisnet
>
--
Kenton A. Hoover
Director of Technology & Services
The Tehiyah Day School
2603 Tassajara Avenue, El Cerrito CA 94530
kaho...@tehiyah.org
+1 415 830 5843 (direct)
+1 510 233 3013 (main)
Kenton A. Hoover
Director of Technology & Services
The Tehiyah Day School
2603 Tassajara Avenue, El Cerrito CA 94530
kaho...@tehiyah.org
+1 415 830 5843 (direct)
+1 510 233 3013 (main)
_______________________________________________
baisnet mailing list
bai...@albert.sacredsf.org
http://albert.sacredsf.org/mailman/listinfo/baisnet
Jaymes Dec
Apr 30, 2015, 8:14:40 PM4/30/15
to k-12-fablabs
YIKES! They are really lucky it was not worse.
Thanks for sharing, Angi. I'm wondering what kind of printer it was.
I know from experience how important it is to NEVER LEAVE A RUNNING LASER CUTTER UNATTENDED!!!
But some 3D prints can take over 12 hours so I understand the temptation to leave them running over night. Maybe we need to think a bit more about how we are storing our printers. If I was designing a lab from scratch, I guess I would look into a way to keep the printers in a fire-contained area?
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teacherhann
Apr 30, 2015, 10:10:36 PM4/30/15
to k-12-f...@googlegroups.com
Wow! Good thing it wasn't worse!
Was it a rep rap?
I'm surprised I haven't seen a lot of talk about remote monitoring of 3D printers. (I'm also surprised that the processes that do exist have taken so long to be integrated)
I guess in the early days of 3D printing so many things could/do go wrong that makers tend to hover over the machines to keep a close eye on them?
Does anyone have anything to say about the remote monitoring capabilities of the Makerbot 5th gen?
David Hann
@teacherhann
Tech Teacher
Donview MS - Toronto
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