We need to talk about powder - contamination and sustainable occupational health and safety
Additive manufacturing technology is developing rapidly. However, soap or washing pastes are often still used after powder handling - an anachronism with harmful effects on people and the environment. A new technology provides a remedy here.
Most colleagues in additive manufacturing with powder bed processes can confirm this. Even with high standards of personal protective equipment, extraction systems and systems that are as closed as possible, the fine powder particles are deposited in layers on surfaces, clothing and skin.
Despite wearing disposable gloves, many employees complain of a dusty film on their fingers that cannot simply be removed by washing their hands with soap. This is due to powder components that can be found in the lower micrometer and nanometer range. Particles that are so fine that they can neither be sufficiently clarified by sewage sludge nor broken down or excreted by the body. The consequences can be long-term damage to health.
The company DermaPurge has developed the skin cleansing gel powder-ex at the Leibniz Institute for Polymer Research in Dresden, which increases the particle surface area and thus neutralizes the damage to humans and the environment. The product is distributed in Switzerland by NEUTEC Werkzeugmaschinen.
Please note: This speech will be given in German.
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