Good to know. I haven't printed anything for food use, but everyone who 3D prints should know this.

Brilliant! Systematic and scientific approach to answering a question that so many of us have wondered about. Really well presented video too. Thank you

This is awesome, finally a professional approach to this problem.

I've always wondered whether or not bacteria truly did have a higher likelihood of growing on 3d printed parts, but I didn't have the materials/lab to do any tests. Thanks for using your resources to give us a definitive answer to this important question!

I'm researching potential 3d printing some molds for production cooking and I REALLY appreciate all of your knowledge on this topic. Even 3 years later (and many more to come I imagine), your video is helping people. Thanks so much for making it!

Thank you for doing the leg work on all of this. Science!

Thank you for the research. Another branch to try is the SLA UV resin printing. It is supposed to be inert after curing.

Nagyon jó ! Talán a PP-t szívesen láttam volna még az anyagok között, és információt az élelmiszerrel használt műanyagokról általában (gondolok itt például a mindenütt kapható műanyag merőkanálra, amit nyilván mindenki beleáztat a forró levesbe). Kíváncsian várom a szilikonos kísérleti eredményeket!

I’ve been doing some experiments to handle the two hard-to-address issues: microbial harbors and heat deformation (since I’m working on a coffee set). My process right now is: 1: Design so that there are no hard-to-clean spots 2: Print PLA with a steel nozzle. Finding the chemical properties of a given filament/color turns out to be hard. I’m keeping it to white Hatchbox PLA for now because white pigments tend to be pretty innocuous. I would LOVE a spreadsheet of filaments that are certified Food Safe and ones that you think are likely OK, perhaps with some that are definitely not OK so we know what to look for! 3: Thoroughly dissolve, smooth, and seal the surface with Plastruct Plastic Weld, which seems to be mostly MEK with a little bit of ABS dissolved in it. 4: Boil the piece for five minutes. This anneals the plastic really evenly. Uneven shapes and densities don’t fare as well as circular ones, of course. One really great feature of this step is that, if you see bubbles forming on the surface before it starts to boil, you know that there is a little void in there! Mark it with a pencil for later attention. 5: Quench the piece in cold water. I don’t know why this works, but it really seems to enhance the rigidity and heat resistance. 6: Touch up where there were voids with Plastic Weld. Check by submerging again. 7: Wet sand smooth 8: Make sure Plastic Weld has a day or more to fully dry before using it, ideally by keeping it somewhere warm and dry. I don’t want MEK in my body. What I’ve noticed so far is that coffee does not stain anywhere, while it was staining earlier in the process before I started getting as homogenous a surface as I’m getting now. That’s certainly not an indication that microbes CAN’T grow, but if there was staining then it definitely could because that would mean that coffee couldn’t get out of the voids. I would love your thoughts on this process!

Really appreciate you taking the time for this. Very well explained, w evidence!!!! Thank you

Great video. You covered a lot of variables that are all important to the outcome but can be inconvenient if we are looking for an easy answer.

Very interesting! I work on food industry for almost 13 years now and I0m looking forward for 3d printing o penetrate this industry woth efectively food safe materials and solutions with minor need of post processing! Looking forward for more videos on research an solutions to fix this kind of problem!

Great video. A lot of what's in this video was already suspected, but it's great to see some real science to test these hypotheses.

Awesome videos, one of the best explanatory KZfaq channels I came across! Love the scientific approach to everything. Keep the good work up ❤️

I'm so excited you're working on this!! I just did some looking and found a copper antibacterial filament called Copper3D which has been shown to decrease bacterial growth over time. If I order some for my application, I will definitely send you a cup to test. This work is so important, please keep going! ^_^

Very informative, i was always suspecting this but dont have the knowledge or equipment to test it, thank you for your work !

I really appreciate scientific approach to this topic and your work. Thank you very much!

Thank you so much for taking the time to do the research and for sharing this great info!

Very informative. Must see for anyone thinking in 3D printing stuff involved with food. Thanks!

Thank you for making this and helping me with my issues. I wish I saw this sooner.

Excellent video! Was looking for this guidance for a while!

This is a question frequently asked on the various groups I'm part of - thanks for such a comprehensive look at this! I do have to ask on the viability of SLA printed objects (however I have yet to dig into if food safe resin is avilabile so may be a moot question)

I am very much interested to see where this goes, particularly about the type of food grade epoxy resin. I have seen some brands in the US - artresign that is food certified but I have never used it. Thanks for doing this!

Annealing isn't actually such a bad option. I printed a small cup with 35% infill and placed it in the oven at 70C for ~1h. Then it could resist the dishwashing cycle several times with no noticeable issues. I'm still worried about the surface finish and the fact that water (from washing) might be trapped inside the comb structure inside, no way to check for that, except by weight perhaps. I bought food-grade epoxy to coat an identical cup and I got the mixture wrong, it never hardened properly, remaining slightly sticky. So that's another parameter to worry about.

I work for a special education facility that is seeking to train students on the autism spectrum for vocations in both the food industry and in the additive manufacturing industry. We would like to find ways to safely integrate these two programs. Your two videos are the most comprehensive look at the problems inherent is using 3D printed parts in a food environment. Thank you so much for that. Aside from the food safety issues, one of the issues that we are trying to fully understand regarding anti-microbial filaments is the relationship between time and efficacy. For instance, if we use an anti-microbial filament for a frequently touched surface, what might be 'safe' intervals between being touched by one student and then another? It seems that there are a LOT of unanswered questions that must be addressed if we are to develope 'best practices' using Cicla3D, Copper3D, XYZprinting or other anti-microbial filaments that come along. But, it is definitely worth pursuing. Thank you for moving us well along that path.

Nice video, I wonder how transforming Resin printed (photon/mars/epax) parts into food grade would work.

Very interesting, keep us posted on follow-ups!

Normally listening to 2x I actually had to put this on normal speed to understand, great content! Following and subscribing

I have had good luck flowing cyanoacrylate glue ( super glue) to smooth and strengthen parts. This glue is also used to closed wounds. Have you tested it as a food safe coating?

Awesome video -- thank you very much for your hard work!

Szuper Videó! Köszönöm az infókat!

Great video on a very interesting topic I've always wondered about. Thank you!

Köszönöm szépen!

Very useful, thank you very much Igor!

Fantastic work, Greatly appreciated!

Very good video, lots of very useful detail. I have a very specific question however: What of a TPU printed mouth guard, kept submerged in isopropyl alcohol when not in use? From a toxicity standpoint, I have heard that TPU is completely inert, albeit I have not looked into the additives. I am aware that TPU is Hygroscopic, but a combination of the drying effects of alcohol and the disposable nature of 3D printed objects makes it seem almost an acceptable flaw, if only due to being easily circumvented. Your point regarding silicone molding may also be valuable in this situation. Due to the low temperature resistance of PLA, a positive mold could be made of the teeth, which can then be transferred to a negative, and then transferred again into silicone.

Üdv Igor. Szuper lett a videó :) Profi magyarázat

Great work, other thoughts I've had on food safe 3d printing, dipping prints in a thinned polyurethane varnish like 'wipe on poly' and it would be interesting to see how soaking a used part in a sterilising solution like hydrogen peroxide would affect the amount of bacterial growth.

Great video. Thanks a lot. Regarding making 3D-prints food-safe: there are food-safe resins for resin-based 3d-printers (SLA). and there is a lesser known way to treat FDM-based prints with such a resin to smoothen in. in other words, the FDM-print gets sealed in the resin. Still, I wouldn't go for a long term usage. My own 3D-prints that I use with food are usually just clips for bags with an additional screw that allows to fill rice, beans etc from a bag into another container. I wouldn't let it get wet. By the way, there is always the option to let it soak in alcohol and desinfect itself with UV-light.

Hi, thanks a lot for posting this video. Very helpful. Great approach, I wish you had more views.

Thank you Igor, it was a very big help to my research!

This is fantastic. The most thorough explanation and research of food grade 3d that I've seen. I didn't expect to have the plastic add-on components and metal contamination covered. One thought, though, along the lines of resistance to bacterial growth. While the test done on water rinse was scientifically accurate and suitable for mass produced parts, I don't know that it is representative of a home user who will rinse the objects with soap and water and dry. I also don't know how much the texture of a 3D printed part compares to other non-plastic textured materials, such as brushed stainless steel or wood. Commercial kitchens don't use those surfaces much, but home users do, and they are generally considered safe. You absolutely proved, though, that the texture and potentially voids of 3d printing ARE an issue. This is great info. Personally, I would be hesitant to use epoxy coated parts because I know that epoxy will gradually wear off and enter the food, and to me the risk of additional toxic chemical contamination (cancer risk) is higher than bacterial compromise. I know the plastic itself will do that, but it's one more layer of chemical that I don't perceive a need for. I also would be hesitant to use bio-resistant filaments, because I don't want to ingest the ions. I don't know how the rate of exposure would work, because the ions are very likely to leach out at greatly different rates depending on use - ice cube tray with water, compared to hot tea (acidic). But all in all, this is fantastic information. Thank you!!

Thanks for the thorough research!

Excellent video and well explained, I'd like to see how the antibacterial filament works out when you get around to that

Thank you very much for your work. I'm really curious to see the results of the use of food safe varnish and polyurethane spray. Hope to find the next video soon :)

Hi great video thank you so much!! quick question PLA + EPOXY food safe still safe ?

Very professional , thank you !

Amazing! Thank you for such rich information!

Brilliant content! Thanks

This info is gold, thanks for sharing

Great video and impressive slides!

Excellent ! Thank you

Thanks for this cool study!

Thank you so much for taking the time to research and share your information! There seems to be many websites trying provide guides on how to make 3D prints food safe, however their credibility is questionable. Do you think heat smoothing PETG would provide a food safe seal? I made a coffee bean funnel, would you consider something like this "low" or "high" risk? I have been sealing with 2 part epoxy (FDA approved) however I wonder if it is overkill. Thanks again!

have you looked into high temp 3d printing like that of "vision miner" ? it may defeat the monetary argument for 3d printing but would be interesting to see if it could work. also it could open up the use of a steam sanitiser like that in the restaurant industry due to its heat resistance.

Nice video, But what about food safety from a migration standpoint? Would be material be able to comply with EC No 10/2011?

I am happy to see the collaboration with Novi Sad. Sanding could also help to get a smoother surface. Great explanation :) Greetings from Serbia!

Thank you, this video is very helpful!

I am loving your video topics

Very interesting. Keep on the good work

Very informative, thanks.

Excellent info!

Thank you!

Fantastic Help!

Great work! Continue please

Very interesting. As you're doing some legitimate studies into the food safe properties of different filaments, I'd contact the manufacturers of the more exotic filaments to request samples for testing. I'm sure many of them would be happy to oblige, especially if they believe their products to be safe for this kind of use or simply want confirmation one way or the other.

Generally food safe is good for aquariums. Curious if the materials would be good for aquarium use even with bacteria propagation as often you want bacteria growth to process fish waste.. I understand petg is quite good. I also know some additives aren’t great as they could leach. Having said that I did a custom diy background with cement. This tank was made and cured for about 2months and flushed repeatedly. I have had no fish die from that. So thoughts on materials for fish tank usage? Thoughts?

Brilliant! Thanks a lot for sharing your evaluations) Im thinking about making chocolate molds of silicon by using 3d model as a shape!

Very interesting information.

very nice, ty fot your work!

Great video! What about using PP (polypropylene) ? There are food-safe PP filaments and you can just put it in a dishwasher (after each use). Shouldn't that be one of the best options?

thank you for this great work ! I have a question, in this particular experience you checked the small cups. what if the food we put inside these cups is cooked in the oven, is it safe to eat ?

Thank you!!!

So just curious by "under the tap" do you mean washed with soap? or just water? if soap was used was it anti-bacterial? Love some proper science!! Look forward to more vids!

I just hope, as was shown at the top of the video, that people aren’t taking “food grade” at face value. There are a lot of people who will do so, not see this video, not question it and think they’re off to making kitchen and pet food accessories, where they come into close and semi-permanent contact with food and it won’t turn out well.

I've heard some 3d artisans use acetone to smooth their finished products? Would that seal the gaps and prevent bacteria from moving in and setting up shop?

Thanks for the info

did you try acetone vapor smoothing some prints? should get the surface completely smooth.

Great Video Good test Thanks for sharing:-)

Very good info! I've seen many arguments online for whether you can print things for food, so it's great to have evidence on what is and not foodsafe.

Fantastic video. How safe are food safe epoxies? I would worry if you don’t get the proportions 100% then you will still end up with volatile compounds. I also wonder about resin prints. If they can make food safe epoxy, surely they can make food safe resins?

Nylon 6/6 coated in epoxy and polycarbonate. Both require a much higher printing temperature and are less forgiving to print. UHMWPE possibly?

Please, is this research viable during this COVID situation for printing antibacterial respirator valves? Are these only reasons bellow why SLS PA12 valve is confirmed safe for medicine use unlike FDM ones: 1. Superior SLS printed surface unlike FDM layerlines (prone to virus/bacteria growth)? 2. PA12 more advanced thermal and chemical properties (offer successful sterilization and disinfection)?

Thanks. Oh, what about SLA printer?

Thank you very much for doing this experiment as we have some food/water bowls to print and they must be food safe - great video!

Thankyou for the fantastic video, how about 3d printing a mould and casting silicone ? I think silicone can be washed at high temps?

Are certain beds considered not food safe? I currently have a PEI on my Ender 3 S1 Pro. Thank you

copper/brass is antibacterian, why we can't use it for food? very reactive with acid?

It might be possible to find a biodegradable filament which is food safe, which would limit the impact of 3D printing surface. Certainly not for the same use cases, but could be an easier path to start with?

Don't underestimate how long trace amounts of some poisonous thermoplastic can reside inside the melting zone. You should just replace the throat and the nozzle. Also smoothing does nothing to pores. It still remains porous. So just coat it.

Have you retried Polysmooth using a nebulizer instead of a brush since this video? Was hoping Polysmooth would work, but disappointed to see it failing here.

what you can tell about PSU filaments material? I heard that's truly food-safe, but I don't know if its still safe in an common 3d printer

can you rerun the bacteria experiments for dry foods such as whey protein powder?

3d print model and using thermoforming to make the mold, I think it can work as food safe

Kedves Igor! egy termék ötlettel kapcsolatban irányítottak Önhöz, egy 3d nyomtatással foglalkozó Facebook csoportban. Van esetleg email vagy messenger elérhetőség ,ahol tudnék érdeklődni Öntől? Előre is köszönöm! Orbán Zsolt

Nickel coated copper nozzles should in theory be another food-safe option

Have you tried pctg it's an alternative to petg

Can I use ABS FOR CHOCOLATE? I won’t be putting it in harsh heating elements. Just pouring for the mold shape.

Oh wow didn't know there were brass and stell alloys with lead in it :O

Love it! Is there a follow up to this video? Thanks!