How to Take Your 3D Prints to the Kitchen that most people don't know about
Do you dream about making prints you can throw in the dishwasher for easy clean up?
Do you want to use food safe material for your own cookie cutters?
One of the best brands in the 3D printing sphere is Fiberlogy. They also have one of the largest selections of food safe certified materials available.
Fiberlogy offers a wide selection of food safety certified materials for all kinds of 3D printing products that come into contact with food.
When printed correctly, some materials can even be thrown in the dishwasher for easy cleaning and sanitizing.
The disclaimer is these materials are made in compliance with food safety requirements and are certified.
Color Options?
Only the Pure Translucent colors for these materials are certified food contact safe, unless otherwise mentioned.
In general, the addition of colors and dyes renders most materials not suitable for contact with food (ALWAYS keep this in mind when looking at other brands of filament, be skeptical, and always ask questions).
Keep this in mind when looking at other materials and brands with colors or dyes claiming to be food safe and always err on the side of caution when it comes to food safety and materials coming into contact with food.
Again, if you're not sure, don't be afraid to ask what types of dyes are being used and to see licenses or food safety certifications when looking at other brands.
EASY PET-G - Pure Translucent Color
|
Printability : |
4/5 |
|
Stiffness : |
2/5 |
|
Durability : |
3/5 |
|
Strength : |
3/5 |
|
Heat Resistance : |
1/5 |
|
Chemical Resistance : |
4/5 |
|
Special Feature : |
Water Resistant |
EASY PET-G is one of the easiest materials to get started with for those new to 3D printing.
This is going to be the easiest material to start using for beginners looking to get their feet wet with 3D printing for food contact and kitchen use items.
It is not rated to withstand high temperatures, but the plus side is it does have the water resistant characteristic of most PET-Gs in its favor.
Because it is a beginner material it will also work with most standard home use FDM 3D printer setups without a lot of tweaking or expensive upgrades.
PCTG Pure Translucent Color
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Printability : |
4/5 |
|
Stiffness : |
2/5 |
|
Durability : |
3/5 |
|
Strength : |
4/5 |
|
Heat Resistance : |
2/5 |
|
Chemical Resistance : |
4/5 |
|
Special Feature : |
Impact Resistant |
PCTG Pure TR from Fiberlogy is the next step as far as features of the material and ease of printing for 3D filament for food contact.
It is simple and straightforward to print like the EASY PET-G, with the added bonuses of strength and heat resistance.
It is also held in high regard for its excellent impact resistance, making it the more likely choice for the accident prone type, such as myself.
PP polypropylene
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Printability : |
4/5 |
|
Stiffness : |
1/5 |
|
Durability : |
4/5 |
|
Strength : |
1/5 |
|
Heat Resistance : |
2/5 |
|
Chemical Resistance : |
5/5 |
|
Special Feature : |
Impact Resistant, High Flexibility |
PP (polypropylene) from Fiberlogy is not certified for contact with food any longer, but it is still a non toxic 3D printing material.
While we can't recommend this material for cups to drink liquid from, PP is a great option for prints where flexibility and durability are a must.
Narrow Path 3D logo double wall tumbler printed with Fiberlogy PP Polypropylene
As you can see this double walled 3D printed cup printed with the Narrow Path 3D logo was waterproof after going through the sanitizing cycle on our home dishwasher.
Fiberlogy PP, polypropylene, is still one of our favorite materials for the durability and flexibility. We wish they would take the extra step in making it certified food safe, but until then we still love it for its non toxic rating and compliance.
CPE HT Pure Translucent Color
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Printability : |
4/5 |
|
Stiffness : |
2/5 |
|
Durability : |
3/5 |
|
Strength : |
4/5 |
|
Heat Resistance : |
3/5 |
|
Chemical Resistance : |
4/5 |
|
Special Features : |
High Detail, able to withstand High Temperatures |
Fiberlogy CPE HT is the final and most durable of the food safety certified 3D printing materials on the market.
If you are wanting your prints to be cleaned quickly and easily by the dishwasher then CPE HT is the perfect choice.
Narrow Path 3D logo double wall tumbler printed with Fiberlogy CPE HT
We do want to point out that while the material is rated to withstand the high temperatures of the dishwasher, the prints themselves must be made with the correct parameters in order to utilize the most highly desirable feature of CPE HT.
The photo above is a smaller version of the Narrow Path 3D double walled cup printed with CPE HT. It took a few attempts to get the settings just right before it could survive the sanitizing cycle while maintaining its integrity.
Now what?
Now that you know what materials are safest for food contact - go for it! If you're suffering from decision fatigue we recommend starting with samples.
Samples are the BEST way to get started with Fiberlogy - Try all the new materials you want (easily and cost-effectively!), and compare different materials to find the PERFECT choice for your next big idea. Shop all Fiberlogy Samples Here.
What could you create with food safe 3D printing material?
Have any tips, or questions? Post them in the comments below.