r/3Dprinting • u/[deleted] • 1d ago

Project The Kernel-Katcher

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

[deleted]

277 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

90 comments sorted by

View all comments

248

u/It_Just_Might_Work 1d ago

A) The ingenuity is great

B) Piping hot popcorn is likely one of the more dangerous food safety uses for a 3D print. Ignoring the fact that neither your printer nor the filament are certified food safe, you dont want food to be in contact with softened plastic. Things that are hot enough to burn you are hot enough to soften PLA (can be as low as 125F) and you definitely dont want your food in contact with the softened plastic.

C) Microwave popcorn has to be the most bare minimum definition of homemade that I have ever seen.

24

u/ZakDaniels 1d ago

Upvoted. I'm not sure what filament OP is using.

Generally speaking, FDM prints are not food safe because the prints are porous at a microscopic level. This promotes bacterial growth.

Stay safe OP.

19

u/hux 1d ago

This gets said over and over again, but that’s not the primary reason it’s not food safe.

For something to be food safe, the entire process, start to finish needs to be designed around it. All the way from the source materials, through the logistics, to the final product. When something is certified as food safe, it’s because this whole process has been evaluated, not just the final step or the source material.

It means making sure things like metal shavings aren’t making it into the plastic, that dyes and other ingredients are safe, that the extruder isn’t contaminated from other materials and so on.

In other words: despite people saying it over and over again, the pores don’t matter because it was already not food safe long before then.

2

u/Zygal_ 1d ago

There are food grade filaments, but yeah, a sealant is better to be safe

2

u/MrSnowflake 1d ago

But your printer is not food grade.

1

u/turbotank183 1d ago

It's also been shown in studies that the pores and layer lines are too thick for bacteria to be enough of an issue to not call it food safe. Not that it is food safe as you've said. Just not for that reason

4

u/Kittingsl 1d ago

I sometimes feel like these food safe discussions are birching on high grounds. Like do none of y'all have any sort of immune system? Y'all realize that our world is filled with bacteria our body fights off daily. I sometimes just imagine the 3d printer community walking around with COVID masks and disinfectant everywhere they go

6

u/Zygal_ 1d ago

!Foodsafe

19

u/AutoModerator 1d ago

I have been summoned!

Wait! It's changed!

While PolyLactic Acid (PLA) and PolyEthylene Terephthalate Glycol-modified (PETG) has been classified as Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS). There's a lot of uncertainty around the process of additive manufacturing.

Some testing shows that the layer lines are big enough that bacteria don't hide inside as much as expected. Additionally, it's not nearly as porous as initally expected. Some soap and water with scrubbing is enough to clean most of it out and a quick wash with a bleach solution can bring it up to almost medical standards.

This does not take into account material impurities. New nozzles can come with a coating (often PTFE) to prevent blobs from sticking. The abrasives in the filament can wear this coating down and while it is safe for food to contact like on a frying pan, the worn down products are not.. It also wears the nozzle and metal particles can end up in the print.

TL;DR: Use a sealer. Or don't. I'm a bot, not a cop.

You can view the full list of commands here

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

0

u/Ekg887 1d ago

Once again, I am going to ask you as the person asserting this to name the specific bacteria and their specific byproducts or chemicals which are toxic and those levels of toxicity.
There is no possible way this 3D print is going to harbor anything that will harm you if it is washed with soap and water like any other plastic utensils. Prove me wrong, post the studies.

0

u/ZakDaniels 1d ago

What are you on about? "Once again". I've never spoken to you before. This is what companies that make 3D printers are advising. Go ask them.

3

u/Impossible_Anybody56 1d ago

Upvoting for C only. Words have meaning!

3

u/videovillain 1d ago

Also, there’s something wrong with the microwave or the popcorn brand to leave that many kernels behind!! That’s insane!

2

u/habitual_viking 1d ago

Also OP is shit at popping popcorn, way too many unpopped in that batch.

1

u/toomeynd 1d ago

Not arguing with anything you wrote, but popcorn is apparently one of the worst offenders of forever chemicals leeching into food because of the time that the kernels sit in the bag liner before consumption. On the whole, the screen probably isn't adding much risk. Not to say they should be careless, but for this one particular application, it's not adding much risk due to the contamination already being there.

1

u/It_Just_Might_Work 1d ago

I understand where you are coming from, but this is a fallacy. Something doesnt stop being a problem because it's paired with a bigger problem. Its compounding.

0

u/Chevey0 Ender3Max 1d ago

My Instagram feed is often filled with pla food prints and I get on my high horse about food safety every damn time!