16
I'm confused on food-safe printing (lemmy.kde.social)
submitted 10 months ago by tubbadu@lemmy.kde.social to c/3dprinting@lemmy.world
15 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Hello! I'd like to print food safe objects to use in the kitchen, like spoons and glasses and so on. Looking on the web it seems that the problem with 3d printed objects is that the space between layers is like bacteria's heaven, so after one use you have to throw them away. The only way I found on the web is "coat with resin", but I don't like this very much, as scratches can remove the coating. also "print a negative and use it like a stamp" seems like too much work for a simple spoon.
so the question is, what if I use a filament that can go into the dishwasher, so I can clean it with boiling water? the web didn't help me much on this, as I found different opinions on the matter: some people said that PETG could go in the dishwasher, some said no.

what is the real answer? can I 3d print PETG objects, use them, put them in the dishwasher, and then safely reuse them?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] Nawor3565@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

The glass transition temperature (the temperature where plastic starts to become malleable) of PETG is 85°C, so if you put a PETG spoon in boiling water, it would deform and become pretty useless. However, if you used a high temperature plastic with a glass transition point above 100°C, you might be able to get away with this method.

Also, just to clarify, a dishwasher does not get to 100°C. You could use it to get the initial food off, but you would then need to boil the utensils manually on a stove to actually sterilize them.

[-] Arcka@midwest.social 3 points 10 months ago

You can sanitize at boiling, and far below that too. For actual sterilization, you'd need to be above boiling using something like an autoclave or pressure cooker.

this post was submitted on 09 Jan 2024
16 points (83.3% liked)

3DPrinting

15647 readers
63 users here now

3DPrinting is a place where makers of all skill levels and walks of life can learn about and discuss 3D printing and development of 3D printed parts and devices.

The r/functionalprint community is now located at: !functionalprint@kbin.social or !functionalprint@fedia.io

There are CAD communities available at: !cad@lemmy.world or !freecad@lemmy.ml

Rules

If you need an easy way to host pictures, https://catbox.moe may be an option. Be ethical about what you post and donate if you are able or use this a lot. It is just an individual hosting content, not a company. The image embedding syntax for Lemmy is ![](URL)

Moderation policy: Light, mostly invisible

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
andypiper@lemmy.world
henry_rowengartner@lemmy.world
j4k3@lemmy.world
GrayBackgroundMusic@lemm.ee