Safety

The application of additive manufacturing (AM) techniques can bring evolution in conventional manufacturing systems, with some additional precautions for industrialists and their workers. These precautions involve possible safety hazards connected with AM fabrication processes, equipment, and materials. The most common hazards related to metal AM can be generated from materials, AM processes, equipment, and other manufacturing facilities. The three significant manufacturing strategies using laser, electron beam, and plasma arc generate burn hazards, creating distinctive hazards like vision loss, contact with ionizing radiation, and electric shock. Many dyes used as lasing media of some types of lasers are toxic, carcinogenic, corrosive, or cause of a fire hazard. Compressed gases used in some types of lasers present serious health and safety hazards. It is already known that the metal powder based on the size range can be inhaled during the AM process and cause health hazards like lung complications.