Additive manufacturing is a manufacturing process involving the performance of successive operations to obtain a finished part and which in itself form a manufacturing chain. The number of operations and the equipment that is part of this chain therefore depends on the additive manufacturing process implemented, the specificities of the materials used and the characteristics expected of the final part.
The exponential growth of the field and applications of additive manufacturing, the first patent of which was filed in the 1980s, is accompanied by questions about the safety of professionals, consumers and the environment. The main reference organizations have taken up the subject in order to assess and prevent occupational exposure with the aim of avoiding the appearance of occupational diseases and accidents at work. However, the democratization of the use of additive manufacturing machines, commonly called “3D printing”, leads to a trivialization and dissemination of risk.
The objective of this article is to present the associated occupational risks and the recommendations necessary for all categories of additive manufacturing processes, taking into account for each the entire manufacturing chain: from the raw material to the finished part. For this, the regulatory and normative framework is first introduced. Then, general recommendations for all processes are detailed. Waste management and maintenance are common to all processes and are discussed at the end of the general recommendations.