04/07/2020
I know a lot of you are seeing people 3D printed masks; however there is a huge problem with that, there is a lot of people selling or advertising the 3D printed masks are not knowledgeable or not being truthful about how safe these 3D printed masks are, especially gain experience you can only safely sanitize certain plastics.
To have a mask that is actually able to be sanitized or cleaned properly people have to use a certain type of plastic, and there are several on the market. Only certain 3D printers can print the plastics that are actually safe and able to be sanitized and cleaned properly. you have to use PET/PET+/PETG/TPU (which are consider food safe and can be washed in the dishwasher or super hot water) because regular PLA that most people use cannot be sanitized or cleaned properly. PLA cannot be washed in a dishwasher (it will melt) and when you use alcohol to sanitize it, the PLA become brittle and will break; however using alcohol to sanitize the other plastics will not make them brittle and break.
I sincerely and truly appreciate people sending me links and asking me questions. A lot of people have reached out to me about 3D printed masks and sent me links to print. I’m trying to find a mask that fits my printer because my dad’s printer can’t print using the other filaments because his printer uses a Bowden tube system (his filament goes through a tube that feeds it through to the extruded head) and most of those can’t print the plastics needed because it would melt the tube system. People need an open extruder system (where you literally feed the plastic straight to the extruded head) like my LulzBot Mini One to print things at the high temps that those plastics (the ones that actually can be sanitized and used properly) that the masks should be made from.
A lot of 3D printer owners are trying to sell masks made from PLA and don’t realize and/or don’t care that those masks cannot be cleaned or sanitized properly. 😞
Please, if y’all have any questions or want to ask me about anything in regards to 3D printing, I am always open to talking about it and giving advice!
I hope everyone is staying safe, staying at home if they can, and also a HUGE THANK YOU to all of the essential workers that are working, as well as the heroes working on the front line!
Be safe out there y’all. I love and appreciate everything y’all do!
