Never more is what you get when engineers design air filters for 3D printers

What happens when a 3D printer air filter is designed by engineers who are passionate about function, refuse to compromise, and want no bad odors or fumes? You get the Nevermore, a recirculating activated carbon filtration system design to deal with VOCs (volatile organic compounds) from 3D printing.

3D printable parts and an easy-to-fill chamber for bulk activated carbon make this recirculating VOC air filter a smart, space-saving design.

The Nevermore Micro (and the Nevermore Max larger) were originally intended to complement the Voron 3D printer design, but are designed in such a way that they can be used with just about anything else. These filters use 3D printable parts and are designed to be easily filled (and refilled) using loose activated carbon instead of some sort of proprietary pre-packaged filter like most commercial offerings. The Voron Project is about a no-compromise printer, and the Nevermore stems from that same design philosophy.

A Nevermore filter sits inside the build chamber and works by recirculating the air inside while passing it through the activated carbon. The idea is that by focusing on addressing the problem at source inside a relatively small build chamber, you don't need a lot of airflow. A small recirculating air filter can do the job effectively, but for best results the build chamber should be as airtight as possible.

One interesting caveat is that it seems that not all activated carbon is created equal, and it is absolutely crucial to only use acid-free, steam-activated (not acid-washed) activated carbon. in a recirculating filter like the Nevermore. There are horrifying photos of oxidized metal surfaces resulting from the use of acid residue carbon, some of which only took a few minutes. Fortunately, there are pointers to reliable sources for known good things.

3D printing is known to cause chemical and particulate emissions. These differ greatly by material and printer type, but it's enough of an issue to warrant attention. One deals with particulates with something like a HEPA filter, but VOCs require a carbon filter. This is where the Nevermore comes in. Activated carbon filters simply wear out from exposure to air, so if you really want to clean up VOCs when printing, it's definitely worth looking into loose carbon with a design like the Nevermore.