Desktop 3D Printers: Sales Soaring, Emissions Standards Coming

Desktop 3D printers’ popularity and sales have soared in recent years with consumers in homes, schools, and libraries snapping up the new technology.

Manufacturers sold about 171,000 desktop 3D printers in 2016, according to the Consumer Technology Association, a trade group for the electronics industry. The group projects continued robust growth, with forecasted sales of 373,000 in 2018.

The increasing popularity of the printers are raising new health, safety, and liability questions. These include questions about the potential health effects of the chemicals and particulates they release.

Concerns range from the exacerbation of existing conditions like asthma to respiratory irritation ...