Safety in additive manufacturing:background

Additive manufacturing is a manufacturing process involving successive operations to obtain a finished part, forming a manufacturing chain. The number of operations and the equipment forming part of this chain therefore depend on the additive manufacturing process used, the specific features of the materials used and the expected characteristics of the final part.

The exponential growth in the field and applications of additive manufacturing, for which the first patent was filed in the 1980s, is accompanied by questions about the safety of professionals, consumers and the environment. The main reference organizations have taken up the subject in order to assess and prevent occupational exposure, with the aim of avoiding the occurrence of occupational illnesses and accidents. However, the democratization of the use of additive manufacturing machines, commonly referred to as "3D printing", is leading to a trivialization and dissemination of the risk.

The aim of this article is to present the occupational hazards associated with all categories of additive manufacturing processes, and the necessary recommendations, taking into account the entire manufacturing chain from raw material to finished part. To this end, the regulatory and standards framework is first introduced. General recommendations for all processes are then detailed. Waste management and maintenance are common to all processes, and are examined at the end of the general recommendations.