Editor's Pick: UL Certification for Emissions-free 3D Printing

RIZE, Inc. announces it has been awarded GREENGUARD Certification from Underwriters Laboratories (UL) for a set of materials for fused deposition modeling (FDM). For now the certified materials only work on the RIZE 2XC FDM 3D printer (list price: $4,495), but other FDM manufacturers should be able to fine-tune their printers to use these new emissions-free materials. 

RIZE calls GREENGUARD Certification “a key safety and sustainability milestone” for the 2XC. “This truly shows the power of materials science to drive our aim of safety and sustainability,” says Andy Kalambi, RIZE’s CEO. “We want this to be a proof point for the industry … that with the right technology, these printers can run safe anywhere.”

The certification is for the materials, which means other FDM vendors will also be able to gain the benefits of zero emissions when creating products or prototypes using FDM. 

The RIZIUM material portfolio from RIZE includes composite materials for strong, durable parts and release material, which ensures that post-processing requires minimal effort and zero chemicals, and does not generate chemical emissions needing mitigation equipment like venting and filters.

“The certification is a proof point,” notes the company, that the 2XC meets “rigorous third-party chemical emissions standards and addresses issues surrounding moisture absorption and other environmental hazards.” 

The approved plastics and carbon fibers were created in a partnership with South Korean 3D printing manufacturer Sindoh as part of the RIZIUM Alliance. 

A study by Chemical Insights, Research Institute of Underwriters Laboratories, and the Georgia Institute of Technology outlined how volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ultrafine particles (UFPs) emissions from desktop 3D printers can compromise health and air quality for millions of students, patients, and employees who are in the vicinity of common 3D printers. The RIZIUM materials and patented processes address those concerns, the company notes. 

Safety concerns restrict the utility of traditional FDM 3D printers unless organizations invest in special filters or venting. By working with RIZE via its RIZIUM Alliance, other manufacturers can optimize for its RIZIUM One and RIZIUM Carbon Fiber materials and achieve GREENGUARD certification. In addition to the RIZE 2XC, the XRIZE full-color composite 3D printer along with the RIZIUM Carbon Fiber and RIZIUM ST release and marking inks and the RIZE One monochrome 3D printer and associated materials marking inks have also meet critical certification standards.

“We want to wake the industry up to the safety issues and how to avoid the kinds of problems that are limiting the growth of FDM,” RIZE’s Kalambi says. “Our focus will be to continue to drive focus on safety concerns in 2021. We want RIZE to be seen not just as a traditional 3D printer manufacturer, but also as a materials science company.”

The materials are now available for current RIZE users.

For information on the RIZIUM materials and patented processes, click here.

For more on GREENGUARD Certification from Underwriters Laboratories, click here.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.