SUPPORT DOCUMENTATION

Safety

The following basic safety tips are given to ensure safe installation, operation, and maintenance of Vision Miner equipment and are not to be considered as comprehensive on matters of safety. The 22 IDEX is designed to be a safe and reliable, but access to some areas of the machine are potentially dangerous.

Vision Miner products shall only be used by persons that have carefully read and understood the user manual and the safety provisions in it.

  • Vision Miner 3D printers generate high temperatures and have hot moving parts that can cause injury. Never reach inside Vision Miner 3D printers while they are in operation. Always control the printers with the intended devices.
  • Allow the Vision Miner 3D printers to cool down sufficiently before reaching inside, unless explicitly stated otherwise for certain (maintenance) processes. Always wait until the controller indicates that the build plate has cooled down to a safe temperature.
  • Do not change or adjust any parts of the product unless the change or adjustment is authorized by Vision Miner.
  • Do not store items inside Vision Miner products.
  • Vision Miner products are not intended for use by persons with reduced physical and/or mental capabilities, or persons with lack of experience and knowledge, unless they are supervised or have been given instructions concerning the use of the appliance by a person responsible for their safety.
  • This product is not intended for use by children. When using this product, children should be under constant supervision of an adult responsible for their safety. Maintenance actions shall only be performed by an adult, following the provided instructions.
  • If the door(s) must be opened to remove the print, change the printer configuration, or for maintenance or repair actions, close the door(s) immediately afterward to prevent the risk of bumping into it / them.

Safety instructions

Please be very cautious during any interaction with the printer. This printer is an electrical device with moving parts and hot-temperature areas.

  1. The device is for indoor use only. Do not expose the printer to rain or snow. Always keep the printer in a dry environment at a minimum distance of 30 cm from other objects.
  2. Always place the printer on a stable place, where it cannot fall or tip over.
  3. The printer supply is 110 VAC / 60 Hz. Never connect the printer to a different power supply; it may cause malfunction or damage to the printer.
  4. Place the power cord so you cannot stumble on it or step on it, or otherwise expose it to any potential damage. Also, make sure that the power cord is not mechanically or otherwise damaged. If so stop using the damaged power cord immediately, and replace it.
  5. When you disconnect the power cord from the socket, pull the plug rather than the cord to reduce the risk of damage to the plug or to the AC outlet.
  6. Never disassemble the printer power supply; it does not contain any parts that could be repaired by an unskilled worker. All repairs must be performed by a qualified technician.
  7. Do not touch the nozzle or heatbed when the printer is printing or warming up. Note that the temperature of the nozzle is up to 500°C; heatbed temperature can reach over 200°C. Temperatures above 40 °C (104 °F) can cause harm to the human body.
  8. Do not reach inside the printer while it is still in operation. An injury may be caused by its moving parts.
  9. Prevent children from unsupervised access to the printer even when the printer is not printing.
  10. Do not leave the printer unattended while it’s still on! While the device has a number of safety features and temperature monitoring, incorrect wiring, damaged cables, failure of components, and/or failure to follow the instructions of this handbook may lead to a fire hazard.
  11. Plastic is being melted during printing which produces odors. Set up the printer in a well-ventilated place.

Hazards

Electrical safety

Vision Miner series printers are powered by mains voltage, which is hazardous when touched. Only skilled and instructed persons should remove the bottom cover of the printer. Always check local regulations before removing the bottom cover.

A mains socket with protective earth/ground terminal must be used. Make sure that the building installation has dedicated means of over-current and short-circuit protection. Please use a circuit breaker with a current rating not exceeding 20A.

Only use the original power cable supplied with the device. Do not damage, cut, or repair the cable. A damaged cable should be immediately replaced with a new one.

Always unplug the product before performing maintenance or modifications, unless explicitly stated otherwise for certain (maintenance) processes.

Mechanical safety

Pinching and entanglement hazard. Do not reach into the top area of the printer during operation due to a pinching hazard. Do not lean over the printer during operation due to risk of entanglement of hair, jewelry, and/or scarfs. This may cause minor pain, but no significant injury to the user is expected from pinching or entanglement by the drive belts.

Crushing or pinching hazard. The force of the build plate is limited but may cause minor injury, so stay out of the reach of the build plate during operation.

Always unplug the product before performing maintenance or modifications, unless explicitly stated otherwise for certain (maintenance) processes.

Risk of Burns

Hot surface hazard.

There is a potential risk of burns: the print heads of the Vision Miner 3D printers can reach temperatures above 500 °C, while the heated bed can reach temperatures above 200 °C. Do not touch either of these parts with your bare hands.

Allow the Vision Miner 3D printers to cool down sufficiently before reaching inside, or performing maintenance or modifications, unless explicitly stated otherwise for certain processes. Always wait until the controller indicates that the build plate has cooled down to a safe temperature.

Emission hazard

Vision Miner machines are open-materials platforms. As such, Vision Miner cannot make any general claims in regards to environmental safety, as customers are free to use the material(s) of their choice. Vision Miner strongly urges to consult with material manufacturers, and/or perform their own safety tests, to determine appropriate ventilation and required safety gear when operating the Vision Miner machines with their chosen material(s).

The 22 IDEX machines are equipped with exhaust ports (2). These ports can be used to connect an optional ventilation system to the machine.

To use the exhaust ports, remove the two twist-in plugs (1) from the back of the machine. Connect the ventilation system to the exhaust port.

During 3D printing, Ultrafine Particles (UFPs), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), and other chemical substances may be emitted. Above certain concentrations (Threshold Limit Values, TLV), these emissions can pose a risk. Concentrations are influenced by the filament and adhesive used, print conditions (e.g. print temperature), room volume, Air Exchange Rate (AER), and number of printers in a room.

Vision Miner products are designed for use with Vision Miner materials and are open for use with materials from third-party suppliers.

Safe use information for Vision Miner materials

Vision Miner materials can be printed safely without any additional filtering using the recommended temperatures and settings in a well-ventilated area (minimum refresh rate or AER of 1.8 for a room size of 30.6 m3). When multiple Vision Miner 3D printers are operated in a contained environment, concentrations of UFPs and/or VOCs will increase. Depending on the specific situation, please consider other safety measures, such as a separate filter, cabinet, and/or dedicated ventilation system.

Safe use information for third-party materials. Make sure to check with your material supplier whether additional risks and safety measures apply. Additional safety measures may be required for the safe usage of such materials. Always take the relevant information provided by the supplier of third-party materials into account for safe operation. Please check the safety data sheet of each specific material for information. Vision Miner cannot be held responsible for any adverse effects from the use and/or performance of third-party materials.

Magnetic field

Static magnetic field hazard. Due to the static magnetic field caused by the magnets in the printer, keep a distance of at least 4 cm between any implanted electronic medical devices and implants containing ferromagnetic materials.

Personal protective equipment

The following items are recommended for working safely with Vision Miner series printers, especially for performing maintenance actions:

Personal Protective Equipment

All persons must wear the safety equipment that follows when operating and/or maintaining the Vision Miner machines.

Minimum Specification
1 Safety Eyewear ANSI/ISEA Z87.1
1 Safety Footwear EN ISO 20345 or ASTM F2413
1 Heat-resistant Gloves EN 407-2004
1 A/R Nitrile Gloves ISO 2859-1 or ASTM D6319

  • Tweezers. These are required for safely removing material residue from the tip of the nozzle.
  • Pliers. When cleaning the inside of the nozzle with the hot and cold pull procedure, hold the filament with pliers to prevent damage to your hands in case the material breaks.
  • Thermal gloves. It is recommended to wear thermal gloves while cleaning the nozzle as the nozzle will be hot during these procedures.

Electromagnetic compatibility

This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at their own expense.