Add information of "food safe" to Bambu Lab filament specification

Searching the internet which filaments are “food save” you find that e.g. usually PETg is food save. And then a note like “but look at the manufaturer specification”.
Also important would be if it is toxic, e.g. if you print games for small children.
This information might also be different between colors of the same type of filament.
It would be very helpful to select the right filament.
Simple a checkbox on every filament page. Just like the information “not usable for AMS”.

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You are spot-on my friend. I have seen filament companies advertise “Food Grade” USDA certified filaments on Amazon and charge a fools price for it. However, food grade only applies to the fact that the filament is not a nutrient source for bacteria. In order for let’s say a cup, to be food safe, it has to be sealed and that’s why ceramic plates and cups have glaze on them.

Having said that. I am currently experimenting with Dishwasher resistance using PETG. Whereas I won’t use it as an eating surface, I plan on making components that I want to disinfect through the dishwasher heat cycle. While not exactly Autoclave temperatures, the NaOH nature of dishwashing soap and it’s high temperature, do create an antiseptic surface treatment that is effective in killing of bacteria. I’m testing whether or not PETG can withstand multiple cycles.

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@Olias
Searching for information I found a video at youtube, where someone did exactly this test with different types of filament. I did not save the link :frowning:
But I remember: PLA was bad, PLA+ and PETg good. He did also a long time test. Everything was destroyed.

None of them are certified food safe or they’d say so, and once you’ve printed it on a Bambu printer, not even certified food safe materials continue to be food safe.

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While the plastics themselves may be non-toxic (we are, in many cases, using the same kinds of plastics that are routinely used for food packaging), that’s not the issue. It’s the prints themselves that are the problem. As mentioned above, 3D print surfaces are characterized by lots of small pockets, nooks and crannies, that are difficult/impossible to clean effectively, that may promote the growth of harmful bacteria.

You can use 3D printed stuff for food provided the plastic is non-toxic, but you should throw it away after the first use, not wash it and try and re-use it again…

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The issue is also that the process of printing is not food safe. The PTFE tube is not clean, the bed surface isn’t clean, the hot-end and nozzle assembly aren’t clean and likely cannot be guaranteed to be heavy metal free.

In terms of sanitisation, there’s been various bits of research into this saying it certainly might be fine, and possible to effectively clean 3D prints, but this is all going to be down to an individual and their level of risk tolerance.

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Without confirmation, the topic is now too broad:

@Mowcius, Possibly the best thing I’ve read - but to estimait a level of risk:

Do you know by how many Chinese manufacturers I just ran out and no one in China understood that. Asbestos, for example, is it still a legal material in China?

Estimait a level of risk - You’ll get 100 points from me. There are also maximum values ​​for plastic additives that end up in a Europan household (not just when they come into contact with food). The probability that FDA plastic will reach these values ​​for non-food-specific handling in a privat householde could, but does not necessarily have to be present/reached. As a farmer in China may sprays his fruits differently than a European farmer with a self-imposed “organic label” - all in accordance with the regulations.

You overlooked the contamination degree of the fillament and the so-called dose rates (which could by probably much higher thrue the Fillament than thrue a PTFE shell abrasion). The possibility/risk of incorporation of harmful and/or foreign substances through the main component suce as a fillament. Which is heavy depends on the production of the supplier and his equipment Manufacturing process, (as you already recognized with the 3D printing process - This now also applies to Bambulabs manufacturing process and they can throw a hell of a lot into there Filament manufacturing exdruder).

That’s why I like highly purified silicone so much. Put it in acetone and catch a view black sheep more who mixed something without I need to do a material analysis for 2500 USD per test.

So where is the CE Documentation on there webpage (manufacturer’s statement on compliance with European directives) not just the CE stamp on the package and the chemical analyzes of the remaining pollutants from Bambulab. How often is this tested; every batch, once a year or once in a lifetime and then never again? Otherwise I will stamp it as uncontrolled Chinese production.

@Hank

Great observations and very true.

However, in the United States we do have an oversight body that engages in all manner of regulatory safety that even the USDA, FDA and EPA dare not stray into… We call it the “Socialist Republic of California”. They have a state legislature that lives by the motto “We never found a law we didn’t like”. :joy:

This has led to the ubiquitous label that one sees almost everywhere now, rental car windows, wire, clothing and I soon expect to find it on milk. It looks like this:

It is quite a mystery as to why the California Legislator has not yet focused their lens of authoritarianism on the 3D printing hobby. It has all the makings of some very intrusive legislation. I mean VOC’s from ABS and ASA, landfill waste, filament poop and let’s not forget the biggest of all of them, “this hobby uses plastic!!!” :laughing:This hobby should be a California legislature’s wet dream. It’s a wonder that they haven’t rounded up all of the 3D printer makers and filament producers and sent them to prison.

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I think some of the dangers are very theoretical or even paranoid. Of course it depends
what we are exactly doing.
Bacterials are everywhere. It is also well known that kompletely avoiding them is not
good for our health. I am not talking here above chirurgial instruments. And if you ever
watched what small children put into there mouse, you know that hygienic is not the most
important thing here.

If you look at the modells presented at makerworld or other sides you will find e.g.:

  • funnels
  • cookie cutters
  • chocolate molds
  • ice cube makers

At least the cookies will be put into the oven.

And regarding the printer:
It is recomented not to use nozzles made of Cu. My bambulab nozzle is stainless steel. Of course there is some additional meterial there, otherwise it would not be stainless.
But this is a very small percentage. And the nozzle should (hopefully) hold for many
prints. So very few will arrive at a single print. Most of this at the inside.
And now lets say we print a cookie cutter. How much of the outside of the cookie-cutter
will be transfered to the cookies?

We should also not forgett that we use every day knifes, forkes, pots and many other
things made of stainless steel.

Also of the things which should be avoided our organism needs a little bit. There is e.g.
a food recommendation of 1 mg Cu a day.

What I think is more dangerouse is the color. E.g. what is used to make the green
filament green? There is surely a high percentage at the outside of our cookie cutter.

I have Bambu-filaments in many colors. Knowing which is less dangerous would help
selecting it. The other colors could be used for other things.

@Olias
I found the video again:
https://youtu.be/jEsKZBPvXyk Welcher Kunststoff KANN die Filamenthölle ÜBERLEBEN?

Exactly, and when a big one says the whole line (without reference to the colors) is safe - then not only my red light turns on, than the alarm bells start ringing like hell… Then I want to see documents for each color, which of course you will never ever find on the manufacturer’s website…

And when looking at the documents, you should take at least a close look at which coil was tested, at what time, in what color, who has tested and how was tested…

However, the linked video in the secon post is a bit too much “Playing with his Hobby”. If that really matters, technical data sheets from the supplier and a supplier who is so professional that he also has such data sheets.

@Olias, I just had to think about your statement. Probably just the beginning, the ideas may will go much further ;-):

Sorry for the add. You won’t be able to read the following because it’s in German - however, the first 3D printer get arrested in Switzerland too. “20 Minuten” is a very well-known magazine in Switzerland. So may 3D printers will may get one or two laws… :wink: There is also talk of deceptively “real looking” water pistols that cause to issues with the police. Any possible weapon should be immediately recognizable as harmless from a fare distance.