Comments on What would one need to do to make 3D printed PLA cookware safe to use?
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What would one need to do to make 3D printed PLA cookware safe to use?
It's possible to 3D print cookie cutters or measuring cups or dumpling makers with PLA, however its not certain that doing so would be safe.
The two problems people mention are,
- Possible impurities or chemicals in the PLA
- The microscopic pores in the object created by the 3D printing process which gives bacteria a place to hide.
Is there a way of solving those problems?
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The following users marked this post as Dangerous:
| User | Comment | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Olin Lathrop |
Thread: Dangerous Not guaranteed to be food safe. See my answer. |
Oct 5, 2021 at 18:17 |
The good news: PLA itself is non-toxic, and is often used in molded applications for food-safe tools.
Everything else is pretty much bad news. Your intuition is correct: The print resolution is going to give you lots of crevices for bacteria to hide in. All of the chemical smoothers are toxic.
You can use carefully applied heat to melt and seal the exterior. You can use abrasives to get a smooth finish. A cookie cutter or a measuring cup would be a reasonable use; I think a dumpling maker would be problematic from both a crevices perspective and from a mechanical stress perspective.
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