Engineer Builds Coolest Air Filtration System for his 3D Printer

Mike Buss revamped his 3D printer's air filtration system, turning it into the smartest filtration system a 3D printer ever saw. 

Buss used a microcontroller, a fan, and various sensors to build his very own air filtration system for his Ultimaker S3 printer — and he had a lot of fun doing so. 

SEE ALSO: 11 EXAMPLES OF WHAT 3D PRINTING CAN DO FOR YOU

3D printing is becoming all the rage across a number of industries, and it's easy to see why. From building housing to creating whacky and amusing toys, 3D printers are adorning not only office spaces but homes, too. 

However, these machines do come with some harmful side effects, such as catching fire or releasing dangerous chemicals into the air. 

Following the birth of his son, Buss decided to take matters into his own hands to ensure the air around his home was as clean and danger-free as possible. He built his 3D printer's very own air filtration system.

In his own words, "I landed on building a totally ridiculous, completely overkill air filtration system for our 3D printer that probably wasn’t necessary in the first place. And it was lots of fun."

Buss used his own printer to print out his filtration system's box and filtration panel. Next, he used Home Depot Lexan, cutting it up and connecting it to his 3D-printed parts. Thus the shell of his casing was done. 

Next up was Buss' favorite part of the project: wiring up the electronics. He used a 12V 3A power supply which was wired into his Arduino Nano 33 IoT, a relay, and the fan. In order to control the speed of the fan, he connected its PWM pin to a PWM pin on the Arduino.

To turn the system into a smart one, he used the built-in WiFi module poll periodically. Then, he added sensors that could measure temperature, humidity, and VOC levels inside and outside of the air filtration chamber. All of this data is directly sent via WiFi to a server.

Next up Buss added two temperature sensors using an I2C multiplexer. So while functioning, the Arduino is checking a flame sensor above the system, ready to shut everything down if it picks up any fire and rings the alarm through its alarm system.

All in all, it's a cool contraption that sounds like Buss really enjoyed building.