Is ABS food safe?

milp · Post by **milp** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 12:46 pm

Hi,

We wanted to print us some coffee cups so i wanted to ask whether ABS filament is food safe or not?

Thanks in advance

Polygonhell · Post by **Polygonhell** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 12:56 pm

Probably, but the issue is more complicated than is the plastic food safe.
The ridges between the layers produced by the FDM process are ideal bacterial breeding grounds, so nothing produced by the process is really food safe.
Not that you can't get away with it for a while.

JFettig · Post by **JFettig** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 1:09 pm

Consider that coffee is likely around 90C - same as your heated bed when you print - it'll be a little soft.

bot · Post by **bot** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 2:38 pm

I doubt it would soften the abs. The glass transition temperature of abs is around 150-160c if I recall.

EDIT: I recalled wrong. It is 105 C.

teoman · Post by **teoman** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 3:43 pm

Acetone polishing could eliminate the layers.

Nylocke · Post by **Nylocke** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 3:49 pm

Then you get the issues of acetone leaking into your food/drink over time. Even ABS as itself has potential to leak toxins into your food. FDM isn't the greatest for making food safe things. PET things are more food safe, but you still have the layer problem. I think that coating that makes T-Glase clear works for smoothing out the layers, don't know about how safe it is for food though.

Food safe materials was discussed on this MakeXYZ thread a while back http://www.makexyz.com/f/food-safe-pla- ... ccddf7c3e6

jdurand · Post by **jdurand** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 4:19 pm

We recommend people wash our items (currently made of PLA) like they would a non-dishwasher safe drinking glass and sanitize with a bleach solution. Check your bottle of laundry bleach for the concentration, some is stronger than others. At least in the USA laundry bleach is FDA safe for food surfaces.

Eric · Post by **Eric** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 6:37 pm

Short answer is "no", you probably can't make anything that's considered legally food safe. Not without sourcing food-grade certified plastic and using a completely different process to make it.

Here's a good thread to read: http://forums.reprap.org/read.php?1,164077,168351

Toysrme · Post by **Toysrme** » Sat Feb 14, 2015 5:36 am

no. issues with:
leeching of chemicals
chemical breakdown
and frankly, the layering provides lots of surface area for bacteria

now on the other hand, taulman is coming out with FDA approved 680 series nylon soon! that's fda approved... you know... before you print it, but that's as good as well ever get (barring they ever get us automated tig/plasma welding of 316 stainless steel home machines)

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