But the precise identity of these substances
is often unknown to researchers and printer
users because the printer manufacturers don’t
disclose this information.
That's not entirely honest. That statement conflates the idea that there is no information available to end users, detailing how 3D printing technology works, when the truth is that the information is out there, and most of the materials involved in consumer-grade plastic 3D printing kind of HAVE TO BE well-understood from a chemical perspective in order for the printers to be designed around them.
FormLabs does publish material safety data sheets:
http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0183/2285/files/MSDS_v7.pdf
So does Stratsys:
http://m.stratasys.com/ig8del/lnk000/=usglobalimages.stratas...
The larger companies DEFINITELY force you into using THEIR proprietary plastics, when open-source printers permit the use of commodity ABS or PLA.
ABS - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrylonitrile_butadiene_styren...
PLA - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polylactic_acid
But, realistically speaking, just based on the fact that it's possible to cobble together open-source 3D printers from commodity parts and commodity expendable plastic, should inform the reader that the materials used by 3D printers are not so mysterious. In most cases the materials are acrylic/styrene based polymers, and not so exotic that they haven't been used for decades. Whether they've EVER been safe is another question altogether.
The article neglects and glosses over these details.
FormLabs does publish material safety data sheets:
http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0183/2285/files/MSDS_v7.pdf
So does Stratsys:
http://m.stratasys.com/ig8del/lnk000/=usglobalimages.stratas...
The larger companies DEFINITELY force you into using THEIR proprietary plastics, when open-source printers permit the use of commodity ABS or PLA.
ABS - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrylonitrile_butadiene_styren...
PLA - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polylactic_acid
But, realistically speaking, just based on the fact that it's possible to cobble together open-source 3D printers from commodity parts and commodity expendable plastic, should inform the reader that the materials used by 3D printers are not so mysterious. In most cases the materials are acrylic/styrene based polymers, and not so exotic that they haven't been used for decades. Whether they've EVER been safe is another question altogether.
The article neglects and glosses over these details.