Somedays I envy our less awesome 3d printing cousins and their PLA plastics. It would be an awesome new resin type if we could finally buy something we could print kidsafe and foodsafe things out of …
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Well, envy no more, use washable resin https://fslaser.com/Products/Washable
By the way, I do not understand how FDM printing is less awesome than SLA printers, really…
Cheers!
Will this washable resin work in a Form printer?
Interesting has anybody tried it?
I have tried in my Pegasus Touch, … , I will try in the Forms 2 as soon as I get a new batch of it.
But, in principle, I don’t see why not. It is just a matter to tweak the parameters of the laser to get it right, or just to post cure it (not with a violet LED but with a proper wavelength for the resin, using an UV lamp with the appropriate wavelength for the resin).
But, will see.
Actually, PLA and ABS prints are not considered “food safe”. The problem is that the FDM printing process creates lots of small voids in the surface of the part. Those voids capture bacteria you can’t easily wash away. The more you use your FDM print for food/drink, the more unhealthy it gets.
Could you add a trace amount of an anti-bacterial agent to the resin? I think I have seen plastic chopping boards advertising that they have anti-bacterial properties the trademark “microban” comes to mind. But I have no idea if it is feasible.
Food Safe determination is a function of the FDA. It ensures that the material does not hold but rejects bacteria. Simply sterilizing the material does not suffice. The material needs to be safe in regard to sensitivities of the skin, mucous membranes and inhalation. Safe to say that before you put a resin in someone’s body, make sure it has been tested by the FDA and approved for either short term or long term use as defined by them. There is no 5 second rule in manufacturing! This is a litigious society!
Kind of wondering…
I got a WMF Spice Shaker made of glass, plastic and cromargan steel but the holes in the plastic part are too small for it’s contents to exit without looking like a madman beating your food.
Generally speaking the plastic part I was considering to replace with a 3D Printed part only ever comes in contact with the dry spice whenever I’d be using it.
Judging the conversation it still looks like a bad idea, huh?
There ARE “Food Safe” resins available out there. (Quite Expensive) I use one in OPEN mode. If you have an STL of your shaker part, I’d like to print it although you will most likely need a “Tough” material to withstand the direct grinding.
Your best bet is probably to make a mold of the 3D printed part, then cast it out of an actual food safe resin like Smooth-On Task 11, or some of the clear resins they use to seal tabletops.
What he said!
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