Proofgrade Materials MSDS

safety
proofgrade
#1

I’ve been in contact with GF customer support about MSDS for the proofgrade materials they sell. I need these for our MSDS binder at work.

Technically, I shouldn’t be using these materials in our lab without the MSDS.

Customer support cannot provide them, say they don’t have them, and don’t seem to know when they’ll be available.

Is this an issue for anyone else? Maybe we can amplify this issue and to make it more of a priority?

I really like the quality of these materials but using them breaks policy.

#2

They should be able to provide the information or at least put you in contact with their supplier. When i order the material mine comes from Moduslink in Tennessee.

#3

You should be able to push back on that. If not the finished wood but the parts that make them.
Plywoods are processed and there will be MSDS for the glue etc and the MSDS for the masking has to exist

(I’m a buyer for electronics and chemicals)

#4

No idea what lab or what the overall policies are, but if a material is non-hazardous, OSHA doesn’t mandate maintaining MSDS/SDS under the Hazard Communication Standard.

#5

When they were developing PG woods there was a lot said about making sure that the finish and the glues were laser-safe, so someone has the MSDS…

#6

Yes in order to prove the material is laser safe and Proofgrade is guaranteed to be safe it needs to be backed up. MSDS would show that

That way if the proofgrade manufacturer switched glue suppliers and used a toxic glue in the plywood Glowforge would go after the supplier if one of us is harmed.

#7

So, catch-22? An MSDS purpose isnt to prove that something isn’t hazardous (though it’s used that way by most of us). And an MSDS doesn’t have to be created for non-hazardous materials.

I don’t care to chase the rabbit down the hole, but there are a few applicable areas as far as wood that could apply.

29 CFR 1910.1200(b)(6)(iv) could apply

It could also fall under the Consumer Product Safety Act requirements rather than HCS, I believe.

One of the things that may make a difference here is that Glowforge does not have or offer commercial accounts, which can change requirements.

Anyways, that’s for GF lawyers to figure out.

#8

I always thought the law required a supplier to provide a MSDS upon request. At least I know for California it is required.

#9

For hazardous materials.

Like @jbmanning5 said, if the material isn’t hazardous, there’s not likely to be a MSDS.

#10

(Thanks everyone for jumping on this thread. Really appreciate the thoughts here.)

But when you burn these materials they produce noxious fumes. That’s part of the reason there’s an air filter or fan that exhausts them.

For example, I have other MSDS for different kinds of acrylic; however, glowforge won’t provide me one for theirs. In fact, you can find an MSDS for other brands of probably all these materials.

My understanding is that the benefit of the proofgrade materials is that they’re tested with the machine for cut quality and guaranteed not to have substances that are damaging to the machine. That doesn’t mean they aren’t hazardous to humans.

OSHA requires MSDS for consumer goods when someone can be exposed to them over longer periods of time in a production like environment. Glowforge is selling this machine to home users, in part, to jump start their own businesses. So, I would think that qualifies even at home with limited production runs.

#11

The challenge is non hazardous things produce toxic smoke when lasered even if it’s just smoke. I mean wood smoke is toxic. Taking a potato and lasering it also produces probable toxins, but good luck getting a msds for your potato.

#12

Or bacon :bacon:

#13

http://iicag.com/feedsolutions/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SDS-for-Fat-Product-Group.pdf

#14
#15

Dried bacon fat doesn’t count. :slightly_smiling_face:

Actually sounds pretty sketchy. Might be a bacon product I actually won’t eat :slight_smile:

#16

Don’t they call those “Cracklins” or “Pork Rinds”? :thinking:

#17

Thanks for the discussion everyone. I will pass the request & thoughts to the team.

#18