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Carbon monoxide poisoning from 3D laser printer may have killed Berkeley couple

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131–140 of 228 posts

Re: Carbon monoxide poisoning from 3D laser printer may have killed Berkeley couple

#131
post #51

Makers are often exposed to many toxic compounds, from toxins in salvaged electronics to PCB etching compounds to lead solder and solder fumes. Unfortunately, they rarely have much if any safety training or awareness of the dangers they are exposing themselves to.

As a new hobbyist in the Maker community, are there any resources you'd recommend that covers basic safety that is aimed at Makers? edit: typo

get a fume extractor if you solder, and especially if you desolder old boards. then, only solder with lead-free solder.

Re: Carbon monoxide poisoning from 3D laser printer may have killed Berkeley couple

#132
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a new hobbyist in the Maker community, are there any resources you'd recommend that covers basic safety that is aimed at Makers? edit: typo

Ventilation, eye protection, hearing protection at all times when appropriate. Rig a fume hood.

I think the question Steezy was getting at is, yes, those things are great. What kind of ventilation? Can I 3d print in the garage if the door is open? How much air is required to make it safe?

Is there a simple way to lookup a material and make sure you're using the right safety precautions? Most materials seems to carry the "will cause cancer, sometimes, maybe, always" label.

Is there a modern "maker" safety course, covering things like 3d printing, laser cutting, glues and paints, electronics, etc. that I can follow?

Re: Carbon monoxide poisoning from 3D laser printer may have killed Berkeley couple

#133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Might be worth editing your original comment to remove the suggestion that it's a Glowforge, just to avoid unnecessarily associating a specific company that wasn't involved in this tragedy.

Lol pr damage control much? Even if it wasn't a glowforge poster points out a huge danger with the "filtered units"

Yep, looks like PR. nickrivadeneira's account is 4.5 years old and has commented 4 whole times.

Re: Carbon monoxide poisoning from 3D laser printer may have killed Berkeley couple

#134
post #90

It's a tangent — and I'll take the downvotes if people want to ding me for asking, given the context — but since you're here: can you please help me understand why your product is useless without the cloud? I'd have gleefully bought one, except for that. And with that, I'm not touching it.

Given that the context is "CEO attempts damage control after being falsely accused of killing 2 people with an unsafe product", maybe this isn't the time?

Is it fair to call the product unsafe? It's industrial production equipment. I think if a person chooses to operate one in their own dwelling, it's on them to take increased safety measures.

Re: Carbon monoxide poisoning from 3D laser printer may have killed Berkeley couple

#136
post #87

Article and headline are incorrect: "Carbon monoxide poisoning has also been ruled out."[1][2][3] Both MIT grads; one a founder of gaming company Glug Glug[2] and co-author of game Shard[4] 1. http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/01/25/berkeley-toxicology-t... 2. http://kotaku.com/game-developers-mourn-sudden-passing-of-ex... 3. http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Two-people-found-dead-Be... 4. http://shard-game.com/

> White also responded to media inquiries about a neighbor’s report of the sound of a generator and an odor of burning rubber coming from the couple’s fourplex in the 3000 block of Deakin Street. Sounds like they were likely running a laser cutter and the "generator" sound was actually an air compressor. (These are used to blow the smoke out of the way of the beam so that you get a cleaner, more accurate cut.) Chlori…

> White said the police department received a noise complaint on Sept. 22, 2015, and when a police officer later contacted the complainant about the issue, the generator was no longer running.

2015. If that is about the same incident it's quite a while before the current event (unless it's a typo in the article).

Re: Carbon monoxide poisoning from 3D laser printer may have killed Berkeley couple

#137
post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lol pr damage control much? Even if it wasn't a glowforge poster points out a huge danger with the "filtered units"

Then say something like "means things like the Glowforge", instead of "probably means a Glowforge". One denotes membership in a certain class, providing an example. The other unambiguously suggests the example is the culprit. And as other posts in other threads suggest, the printer, whichever brand, being the source of the CO poisoning isn't even certain. I don't work for Glowforge, and you may note my other comment…

I mean... Nick's account is pretty old but has very few comments. Of the 5 or so comments one of them mentioned a marketing podcast.

I don't think it's a stretch by any means to think the account is used by someone in the glowforge marketing Dept.

Re: Carbon monoxide poisoning from 3D laser printer may have killed Berkeley couple

#138

Hi folks. Val and Roger were dear friends, and I am on the ground here, and I'd like to respectfully ask that you refrain from speculation. The press is rushing to print sensational items, and they don't know the actual facts. I've been talking to the police directly, and nothing is conclusive yet. Nothing has actually been ruled out, nor determined to be the cause. They don't even have full toxicology reports yet, t…

Sorry to hear that you lost two friends. It's such a terrible thing for the hacker/maker community to lose two people that seemed like such talented, intelligent individuals.

Re: Carbon monoxide poisoning from 3D laser printer may have killed Berkeley couple

#139
post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then say something like "means things like the Glowforge", instead of "probably means a Glowforge". One denotes membership in a certain class, providing an example. The other unambiguously suggests the example is the culprit. And as other posts in other threads suggest, the printer, whichever brand, being the source of the CO poisoning isn't even certain. I don't work for Glowforge, and you may note my other comment…

I mean... Nick's account is pretty old but has very few comments. Of the 5 or so comments one of them mentioned a marketing podcast. I don't think it's a stretch by any means to think the account is used by someone in the glowforge marketing Dept.

You're not supposed to accuse people in threads of astroturfing or shilling. If you have evidence it's best to email it to the mods for them to take action.

Re: Carbon monoxide poisoning from 3D laser printer may have killed Berkeley couple

#140
post #125
post #44

"3D laser printer" probably means a Glowforge. Nobody else calls them that. Their documentation says "Lasers normally require some ventilation via a small tube out a nearby window. Our optional Air Filter that sits under Glowforge and ventilates using HEPA filters and charcoal, meaning no outside ventilation is required." That won't do much if you cut something that emits carbon monoxide when heated. That includes so…

The air filter costs an additional $750 extra when you buy the $3000 Glowforge, I could see students skimping on that and no realizing the implications. https://glowforge.com/order That said I watched the video for this product and I'm really looking forward to when these are widespread. It's a very exciting industry. I'd definitely buy one of these when it gets to around $1k.

> I could see students skimping on that and no realizing the implications

They weren't students. Roger was a game developer while Valerie was a post-doc. They just happened to live in Berkeley.

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