Sharp edges and splinters

Sharp edges and splinters are a significant issue. Macroscopic products especially of technology level III but also of level II could if not well designed potentially pierce the skin of humans or animals.

Health

If makroscopic AP products are broken apart a different surface will appear potentially increasing that problem. Also if the products base structure is not well designed from the fractured diamondoid surface very small amounts (since they come only from the surface?) of molecular machine elements (DMMEs) might irreversibly leave the machine pase (e.g. bearings might slide of their axles) and pose threats of inhalation or ingestion. Depending on the disssolvability chemical toxicity and structural effect this might be harmless or harmful. Due to the low expectable dosed the structural effects may be the most dangerous ones. To investigate: can highly symmetric simple forms of DMMEs act like hormones - (it seems unlikely).

These issues must be completely prevented or at least strongly reduced! Measures that can be taken include:

• avoidance of 90 degree edges on outer surfaces of products (and maybe even microcomponents?); usage of 135° edges as far as possible.
• inclusion of predetermined breaking points e.g. at the microcomponent borders (the more reversible the better); The broken apart surfaces should as far as possible also adhere the 90 degree avoidance rule. Very advanced systems may be able to actively and as good as instantaneously smoothen the fresh fracture plane by retracting sharp protrusions and capping the surface with a new shell.
• usage of slightly water soluble and rather nontoxic diamondoid building materials
• if some form of legged mobility for microcomponent replacement or recomposition is used the legs must be force bendable in all directions till they contact the units main body so that the lever effect can't break them off. In case of the yet speculative utility fog additionally the fogs surface needs to carry around a dynamic smoothing shell - a very nontrivial matter.

Repairing macroscopically fractured parts (quasi welding) or reclaiming their microcomponents (inversion of the upper assembly levels) is an other but related topic where dirt and alignment play a role.

Environment

If materials are made that behave in a brittle way or can be subject to abrasion in an other way tiny fragments of those materials can leave the machine phase and contaminate the environment. (See: Recycling)