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Which Filaments are generally safe for contact with Food? What do you recommend?
(lemmy.blahaj.zone)
As one of my first ever self designed Prints and 3D Models, I wanna do a big organiser for my Kitchen! This is my current progress on that:
One of my friends gave me a word of caution to use the right filament when it comes to storing things like Sugar, Pepper, Salts and Tea Bags with Printed Plastics. So I wanted to ask if any of you have Good Safe Filament Recommendation for this type of thing? I heard PETG is supposedly safe, is that true? Thanks!
The primary concern with fdm printed parts is bacteria growth in the gaps and cracks, which you cant really avoid. Some materials allow vapor smoothing, but the most popular candidates ABS and ASA are not food save, even if perfectly smooth.
For storing stuff that does not support bacteria growth (for sure salt, maybe tea bags and pepper) PETG is a good choice. Strong consistent layer adhesion enables water tight print. Its relatively chemically robust and will not chemically react with your food, and not leach out much if at all. It also means its mostly dishwasher safe, especially at low temperatures. You MUST have a properly tuned PETG profile to get a close to perfect surface with minimal defects. Burn of any stringing, otherwise it will end up as microplastic in your food.
For storing stuff that can spoil, the requirements are a lot higher, and the only option is coating with a food safe resin. You should research what is compatible with the printed plastic, and maybe avoid dishwasher or aggressive cleaners.