Hi,
I work as a continuous improvement engineer and I’ve been discussing getting a 3D Printer for our shop here. Main applications would be:
- Prototyping tools, jigs, parts, etc
- Small custom parts for use on equipment
The main thing I’m struggling with is there’s so much technology and brands now! I decided to reach out for more insight. The main requirements are essentially:
- Food safe plastic OR Metal Detectable plastic (plastic with metal impregnated)
I would appreciate any help or direction!
For a business, Prusa probably makes sense. You lose money when things don’t turn out right, so spending a bit more up front is the right choice.
Beware that FDM prints are full of tiny holes which are basically impossible to thoroughly clean, so they can be “food safe” for the first use, but once they’re used they may be dirty forever.
What’s an option without tiny holes? I’ve heard of resin and laser printing which is higher resolutolion, do you know anything like that?
I’m the past there were hot ends (the print head) that may contain lead, so there is also that to consider.
The solution I read about in the past was to coat the part at the end with something food safe, like glazing for ceramics.
Of course you have to be careful about cleaning these plastics, PLA can’t handle dishwasher temperatures.
I’ve looked at formlabs list of materials and I’ve noticed there are some graded for those Temps and some not. I guess filaments themselves can always be changed
Coating is a good post processing solution however. So we’ll be sure to look into that as well
Do you know any actual printers you could suggest? At least 30 cm x 30 cm by 30cm
For food processing, the entire part has to be food safe - in case it breaks and winds up in a bag of Cheetos or something
there’s a wide range of solvents that you can use to smooth the surfaces with a “vapor bath” depending on you’re material
