Aether
The Smart air filter for 3D printers
Features of the Aether 3D printer air filter
The Aether is a compact, user friendly smart air purifier for 3D printers. It was designed to filter harmful Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and microplastics in FDM, and Resin 3D printer enclosures. This helps to reduce the health risks associated with 3D printing. The Aether contains a fan, a filtration system, and control electronics, that keep things running. The innovation in this 3D printer air filter comes from several quality of life improvements. Just plug it in, press the start button, and let the system handle everything else automatically. No need for complicated setup steps.
Smart operation
The Aether is a smart air filter for 3D printers. No need for fiddly setup with setting up printer volume, runtime, and fan speed. Just pug it in, turn it on, and let it work its magic.
Filter/exhaust mode
The Aether can be used as a standalone device, where it recirculates air inside the 3D printers build chamber, or it can be mounted directly on the side of a 3D printer enclosure for exhaust mode operation.
Night mode
By turning on night mode, the RGB feedback lighting turns off, and the fan operates in a reduced rpm range, to reduce noise. The Aether 3D printer air filter is a silent device. But it can be even less noticeable when needed.
Easy maintenance
With a magnetically attached protective cover, the HEPA unit of Aether 3D printer air purifier can be replaced in seconds. The system also monitors runtime, and displays a warning when it is time for replacement.
The technology inside the Aether 3D printer air filter
RGB feedback
The built in RGB fan to provides feedback of the Aether 3D printer air filters operational status. This is probably the biggest light source one could fit on this device, so recognizing the system status is quick, and easy. When the led is green, the air inside the 3D printer chamber is filtered, it is safe to open the enclosure. And of course it can also display filter replacement warnings, and system status. It can also be switched off.
Advanced filtration
The Aether 3D printer air filter has an easily removable HEPA, and active carbon filter. But the true innovation is the independent measurement of particulate matter, and VOC concentration. This way, the system monitors the status of both filters, and displays a warning when it is time to replace them. This approach helps reducing the filtration costs, while maximizing filtration performance.
Printer interface
Any 5V1A USB adapter can power the device. It can also be connected to the 3D printer directly using a 4 pin XH2.54 connector (Make sure the printer can output 1A@5V). This way, the printer can read the fan status (running/stopped), and can issue start-stop commands to the device. So when printing warping sensitive materials, the airflow generated by the fan won’t be in the way. Filtration can be started by custom gcode at the end of the print.
FAQ
We compiled the most common questions regarding the Aether smart air filter for 3D printers. If you have any other questions, please contact us at aether @ optera3d . com. We will try to get back to you as soon as possible. We are still adding things here…
Why use an Air filter for 3D printing?
During printing, microplastics get away from the print surface. These can end up in the lungs, in the blood stream, anywhere in the human body, or the environment. They aren’t very good for the health. At the same time different Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)1 are produced from cleaning residues, the filament degrading etc. These cause the strange smell 3D printers produce. They also might cause cancer2. Air filters, like the Aether filter these materials out, and keep the printing process safe.
Are PLA, and PETG fumes harmful? Not just ABS?
During the hotend heating, VOCs always appear. For PLA, it is less significant, but still measurable. For PETG, it’s slightly worse. ABS, and similar materials are not something one should print at home, as it does produce all kinds of nasty, and toxic fumes. Microplastics appear for all FDM printing processes. This is why it is always necessary to use a 3D printer air filter.
What sets the Aether 3D printer air filter apart from other solutions
There are three major improvements over existing air filter solutions that the Aether features.
One of them is the RGB feedback. This helps the user to determine whether it is safe to open the 3D printer enclosure, by changing colour according to the air quality. It is also used to display warnings when it is time to change the filters. It’s a straightforward solution, yet none of the products we found has it.
The second one is the air quality monitoring. Without that, one can only run a filter for some arbitrary preset time. This does not ensure that the air inside the 3D printer enclosure is properly filtered from harmful microplastics, and VOCs. However, with the monitoring feature combined with the RGB feedback, one can always determine the filtration status. The filter also stops automatically, when there are no VOCs, or PM2.5 particles present, saving energy. The quality monitoring comes at a caveat: the Aether must occasionally spin its fan for a few seconds at a low rpm when idle, to push air trough its sensor array
The third one is the 3D printer interface. The Aether 3D printer air purifier can send its status to the printer, and receive commands from the printer*
*we are still working on this feature, right now it has limited functionality
What kind of filtering does the Aether offer?
The Aether uses a HEPA filter, and an activated carbon (charcoal) filter. The HEPA filter removes particulate matter, the activated carbon removes VOCs. This combination ensures an efficient air filtering.
How often must the filters be replaced?
This is dependent on the usage environment. Heavy loading saturates the activated charcoal filter relatively quickly, but the system displays a warning when it suspects saturation has occurred. In this case the filter must be replaced, otherwise it will not be able to filter VOCs
Is a closed chamber needed?
Technically no, but it is strongly recommended. A closed build chamber is needed for efficiently operating the Aether 3D printer air filter. Technically any closed cabinet should trap the particulate matter, and VOCs. As the Aether is a small device, with a relatively small filter, it will get saturated quicker (needing more frequent replacement), if it has to filter the air in a whole room. The smaller the volume, the more efficient the Aether is.
Do I have to start/stop the device manually?
After initial setup, it is necessary to turn the device on manually. After that, it can be placed inside the 3D printer chamber, and can operate automatically. This means, that it occasionally checks the air quality by spinning its fan at minimum rpm, collects quality data, and if it is necessary to filter, it starts up, otherwise it goes back to power saving mode.
Does the Aether 3D printer air filter have a silent/night mode?
The Aether has a dedicated button, which can be used to select a night/silent mode. This turns the RGB off, and sets the upper rpm limit of the fan to a lower level, resulting in an even more silent operation.
The filter in the rotating animation looks strange, why is that?
We are mediocre at blender. As soon as we get good, we will re-render it with a decent sponge texture.
Order the Aether 3D printer air purifier!
We are still ironing out a few quirks, but the Aether 3D printer air filter is coming soon!
Originally, we intended to launch on IndieGoGo, but it turns out, we can make the Aether in small batches without crowdsourcing. Yay! So stay tuned, ordering will be open soon!
In the meantime visit our blog for updates!
Or check out our socials…
Specifications
The base specifications of the device are as follows:
| Dimensions | 161*126*63mm |
| Material | Case material: PETG/ABS. High temperature materials upon request. |
| Operating environment | +10-+70°C ( 50-158°F ) |
| IP rating | IP20 – designed for indoor usage. |
| Power consumption | 5V 1A peak. 5V 0.1A average standby mode. |
| Power supply interface | USB type-C connector. It can be used for firmware updates. The implementation is not USB standard. To reduce e-waste, if you already have a charger you aren’t using, please don’t buy a new one! |
| Package contents | 1pc Aether smart air filter for 3D printers. 1pc Optional exhaust mode mounting adapter (it’s also downloadable as an stl for free) . 1pc Optional power supply |
Please note, that these are preliminary specifications, and we might change them without notice. Detailed documentation of the device will be available before launching the product.