Safety
The health and safety of every employee is critically important. This guide will cover material hazards, safety standards and facilities best practices that will create a safe environment for you and your team.
Two sources of material hazards are present in a lab using Carbon's products.
- Liquid Resins
- Solvents
The liquid resins used in DLS™ production are hazardous materials. You must learn how to protect yourself and others when working with these materials.
Liquid resins can contain the following chemical hazards:
- Health Hazard
- Harmful
- Corrosive
- Environment (non-mandatory)
- Acute Toxicity
Health Hazard
- Carcinogen
- Mutagenicity
- Reproductive Toxicity
- Respiratory Sensitizer
- Target Organ Toxicity
- Aspiration Toxicity
Harmful
- Irritant (skin and eye)
- Skin Sensitizer
- Acute Toxicity (harmful)
- Narcotic Effects
- Respiratory Tract Irritant
- Hazardous to Ozone Layer (Non-Mandatory)
Corrosive
- Skin Corrosion/Burns
- Eye Damage
- Corrosive to Metals
Environment (non-mandatory)
- Aquatic Toxicity
Acute Toxicity
- Fatal or toxic
The liquid resins used in DLS™ production may cause sensitization.
OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration – United States Department of Labor) defines a sensitizer as: A chemical that causes a substantial proportion of exposed people or animals to develop an allergic reaction in normal tissue after repeated exposure to the chemical.
- Sensitization is an immune response. Some people are prone to a reaction, while others may never have a response.
- There may not be immediate health effects, but repeated exposure can manifest in a reaction quite suddenly, even after years of exposure.
- Once you are sensitized, repeated reactions are usually a life-long possibility, with even minute amounts of exposure walking into a lab.
- Prevention of sensitization can be achieved by following guidelines in Safety Data Sheets and the measures outlined in this course.
For more information on sensitizers and their health risks, refer to your region’s health and safety regulatory body.
The Safety Data Sheet (SDS) provides details on the chemical composition of a resin, health and safety hazards, and indication of its flammability or combustibility.
- The SDS is your certified source for all safety information on resins.
- An SDS is included with every resin shipment.
- Make sure you know where the SDSs are located in your production area.
Refer to the Safety Data Sheets for each resin for detailed information.
The solvents used to clean liquid resins are also hazardous materials.
Refer to solvent Safety Data Sheets provided by the manufacturer that supplies your lab's solvent.
The liquid resins used in DLS™ production and the solvents used to clean them are hazardous materials that require proper disposal.
Follow local regulations and work with your compliance officer to determine the best methods of storage and disposal (incineration is the preferred method)
Generally there are three categories of hazardous waste disposal that you will require:
Solid Waste
Supplies contaminated with resin or solvent, such as paper towels, empty containers, and gloves.
Liquid Resin Waste
Unused resin that must be disposed
Solvent Waste
Soiled solvent no longer viable for use
Refer to the Safety Data Sheet for each resin for detailed information.
- Ventilation
- No Food or Drink
- Containment
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Ventilation
Work in a well ventilated area or workstation at all times when working with resins and solvents.
No Food or Drink
Do not eat or drink while working in the lab.
Containment
Keep contaminated clothing/items contained.
• Check your lab coat frequently to make sure that it is clean.
• Soiled items should be properly disposed of immediately.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Wear appropriate PPE and change frequently as needed.
ALWAYS wear PPE when working with liquid resin or uncured parts!
- Carbon resins contain chemicals that are known sensitizers.
- PPE will protect you from exposure to potential physical and health hazards.
Tie back hair
If you have long hair, tie it back to keep it out of your face and away from resins and solvents.
Safety glasses
Safety glasses protect you from splashes of resin, solvent and ambient UV light.
Lab coat
Lab coats protect you against accidental resin and solvent spills or splashes. Wear a clean, chemical resistant, flame retardant lab coat with elastic sleeve endings in the lab at all times.
Gloves
Always wear gloves when handling liquid resin or uncured parts. Never touch liquid resin, clean or dirty solvents or unbaked parts with your bare hands.
Pants
- Long pants are required at all times in the production area.
- Make sure no skin is exposed between your lab coat and enclosed footwear.
Closed toe shoes
- Closed toe shoes protect your whole foot from spills.
- Leather and synthetic material shoes are preferred over fabric.
Carbon printers and the UV curing flood lamp systems emit a strong UV light that can damage your eyes. While the hardware does have safety mechanisms in place to block UV light, overrides may be available and UV safety goggles are back-up protection.
Safety goggles also protect you from splashes of resin and solvent.
- Wear UV-blocking safety glasses(Z87+rating) whenever you are in the lab.
- Prescription safety glasses are recommended
- Don’t use personal eyeglasses as your safety glasses unless they
- Have a UV coating.
- Completely cover the front and sides of your eyes.
- Do not wear contact lenses when working with hazardous materials.
- In an accident, the contact lenses could trap resin in your eye longer and make it more difficult to thoroughly clean.
Lab coats protect you against accidental resin and solvent spills or splashes. Wear a clean, chemical resistant, flame retardant lab coat with elastic sleeve endings in the lab at all times.
Lab Coat Options
Own and launder lab coats (recommended)
- Carbon recommends having three lab coats per employee to facilitate cleaning once per week. (1 for wearing, 1 for back-up and 1 for laundry)
- If a coat is soiled, it is immediately removed, stored for laundering and replaced with a clean coat.
- Follow proper
- Laundering services may also be available in your area.
Disposable coats
- Do not use disposable coats for production work such as printing or washing parts. These coats do not provide the needed chemical resistance.
- Disposable coats may be used for someone who is observing the printing process.
- If resin gets on a disposable lab coat, it is contaminated and requires immediate change as well as proper hazardous disposal.
Own and launder lab coats
Disposable coats
Disposable gloves protect your hands from uncured resin and solvents.
Always wear gloves when handling liquid resin or uncured parts. Never touch liquid resin, clean or dirty solvents or unbaked parts with your bare hands. Parts are safe to handle with bare hands after fully cured (secondary curing).
- Pull gloves over the cuffs of the lab coat to cover all skin for maximum protection.
- Double gloving is recommended to increase safety.
- The double layer of gloves increases safety by ensuring that when you need to switch out a soiled pair, the inner glove layer protects your bare skin as a soiled hands remove the outer layer.
- This method also saves time in the lab because it is quicker to replace a pair of gloves over gloves than bare skin.
- Change gloves often to avoid cross-contamination.
- Promptly remove and dispose of resin-soiled gloves.
- Glove dispensing stations should be readily available in the lab to change your gloves often.
- As soon as you finish a task with acetone, change gloves, which degrade gloves more quickly.
Heat resistant gloves
Heat resistant gloves are necessary to remove pans, trays and parts from the oven.
Cut resistant gloves
Cut resistant gloves may be used as an additional safe-guard against cuts while removing parts from the platform.
Parts need to be removed from the platform with a sharp razor. Manage cut hazards when using sharp tools.
- Your part may separate suddenly from the platform, causing the tool to accelerate forward or slip.
- For this reason, always cut down and away from yourself while holding the platform firmly against the bench.
- Do not use blades as pry-bars.
- If you do cut yourself, remove your gloves immediately.
- Wipe any resin from your skin, and wash with soap and cold water for at least 10 minutes before bandaging the wound.
- If the cut is serious, seek medical attention immediately.
- Dispose of blades in a sharps container, and treat areas exposed to blood as a biohazard that must be cleaned appropriately.
- Optionally, wear cut-resistant gloves.
Inhalation
- Move to an area with fresh air.
Skin Contact
- Remove contaminated clothing.
- Wash hands with soap and cold water for 10-15 minutes.
Eczema or skin disorders
- Seek medical attention for any eczema or other skin disorders.
Eye contact
- Immediately flush eyes with water for 15 minutes.
Ingestion
- Rinse mouth and seek medical attention.
Make sure each employee is properly trained to quickly locate and use the lab safety equipment in case of emergency:
First aid kit
Used for treating minor injuries.
Fire extinguisher (ABC or Halon)
The following classes of fire extinguishers are suitable:
- ABC
- Halon
Carbon resins belong to the Class B fire group, which includes other flammable liquids such as gasoline, petroleum oil and paint.
Spill kit
A set of items that aid in containing and cleaning chemical spills.
Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
Carbon SDSs can be downloaded here.
For solvent and 3rd party material Safety Data Sheets, refer to the manufacturer.
Safety shower
A safety shower washes chemicals off a person in the event of a chemical spill.
Eye wash station
In case of eye exposure to chemicals, used to rinse eyes. Can be a feature of a safety shower.
Production areas should be clearly separated from common areas through physical boundaries (doors) or visual cues (tape or signs).
Boundaries clearly defined.
Contaminated items and uncured parts remain in lab. Fully cured parts never re-enter lab.
Clearly label door handles for Gloves or No Gloves.
Follow local regulations for hazardous waste disposal.
Ensure all employees are trained in good chemical hygiene practices in order to prevent contamination of work surfaces, tools, equipment, etc. Surface contamination is a safety hazard, as it increases the likelihood of unintended chemical exposure.
In the production lab, most surfaces will come into contact with liquid resin or uncured parts ans should be considered a PPE work zone.
You may need to designate specific surfaces as clean zones that will be used for laptops or paper notebooks.
Clean Zone or Glove Free
Designated area to remain free of resin, such as a small rolling table or workstation to use equipment such as laptops.
- No gloves (glove free zone), labeled clearly.
- Safety glasses and lab coat still required.
- No chemicals, prints, solvents or other materials are allowed in this area.
Proper ventilation is important to maintain a safe working environment. Below are some examples of equipment that can be used during part production.
Compressed Air Cabinet
Ductless Hood
Snorkel Exhaust Fume Hood
Utilize disposable lab materials to cover all work surfaces to maintain a clean and safe lab.
Reference the Accessories & Supplies page for recommended product links.
Absorbent Mats
- Cover the entire surface with an absorbent mat
- Self-adhesive absorbent mat (PIG Blue mats). Recommended.
- Or absorbent mats (change frequently)
- Tape the edges down with a vinyl duct tape to seal edges from liquids
- Change the covering as necessary to maintain a clean work surface.
Aluminum Foil
- Works well as a secondary covering each time you dispense resin and discard if resin spills onto the foil.
Consistently cleaning and wiping down equipment after use is key to containing contaminates. Small amounts of resin can slowly build up over time and lead to handles, buttons and surfaces that are coated in a thick layer of sticky resin.
We recommend keeping the following areas clean, using an IPA dampened towel or wipe when resin contact occurs:
- Platform handle
- Cassette latch
- Latches on the compressed air cabinet
- Handles on the oven, UV cure equipment
- Hand tools
- Transfer trays
- Any other surface that could spread resin
Platform handle
Cassette latch
Oven handles
Transfer trays
You may want to appoint a designated safety officer who will be responsible for production area safety and monitoring. This person would be responsible for making sure all employees are following your company’s established safety guidelines.
Some areas to consider are as follows:
- Work area inspection
- Monitor safety protocols
- Hazardous waste handling and disposal procedures
- Communication to the team on protocol, hazards found, etc.
- Training new employees on safety
Creating an environment that encourages team members to watch out for one another has several benefits:
- Builds team
- Enforces safety
- Maintains safe products and processes
- Encourages accountability
- Sets expectation of responsibility of protecting yourself and coworkers.
