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Thread: Seal a print?
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02-07-2017, 08:54 AM #1
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Seal a print?
I have a DLP SLA printer and have designed a specific mouthpiece for a musical instrument like a recorder or whistle.
However, all of the resin manufactures I have emailed say their resin (even when cured) is not food safe and should never be put in the mouth.
Is there something I could dip the mouthpiece in (or at least the part that will be in the mouth) to completely seal it and make is safe to put in the mouth?
I see that there are polyurethanes to seal wood, would that work? Or maybe a quick dip into silicone..?Last edited by 3DPiper; 02-07-2017 at 09:18 AM.
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02-07-2017, 01:04 PM #2
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How about making silicon molds from your print then casting that in a resin that is safer? I've only done very basic silicon molds, and not very well at that, but I think with some practice and the right equipment this would also allow you to make a better end product.
https://youtu.be/iRj6xzNx7P4 looks like a nice video showing the process. I'm guessing a mouth piece would need to be done in 2 parts due to the internal structure.
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02-07-2017, 03:54 PM #3
Poly for wood is NOT food safe. The only truly food safe wood finish is a Mineral oil and beeswax blend.
Silicone will not hold up as a mouthpiece. The outer layer would have to be too thin to make the piece usable, and it would wear down too quickly.
They do make a food safe Epoxy resin. Make a mold and cast your mouth piece in that.
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02-07-2017, 04:03 PM #4
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silicone would not be for the mouth piece. it is a flexible mold material. You cast in resin. See the video.
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02-07-2017, 04:18 PM #5
I do Silicone molds myself. I know what YOU meant. The OP asked if dipping it in silicone would be a good idea.
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02-07-2017, 04:57 PM #6
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02-09-2017, 01:22 AM #7
You can either have it printed in foodsafe PLA on an FDM printer, Shapeways ceramic is foodsafe as well which can be a nice option. Otherwise use your SLA printer for a mother model and create food grade epoxy castings from a silicone mold, as Marm suggested.
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02-09-2017, 01:44 AM #8
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If you could find the resin used by Invisalign, then you would have a product that has been certified for oral applications. They SLA customised dental retainers for correcting your teeth, and have established a successful business.
http://www.invisalign.co.uk/en/Pages/Home.aspx
Rich
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02-10-2017, 08:22 PM #9
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Thanks for the info guys!
Making a mold would be very difficult. This specialty mouthpiece has several air passages instead of one (think: cooling passages for a car engine). I would have to re-design it to anticipate each air passage being cut in half for a mold. Not impossible, but would have to start all over.
If I was able to actually make a mold, the material I would like to cast would need to be very hard and dense, like delrin/acetone. Is delrin castable? Or is there something similar?
I'm hoping to do everything in-house as much as possible.
Finding non-toxic resin would be ideal, but so far I have no found any. Dipping just the part that will be in your mouth in some food-safe non-toxic sealer would also work if it is hard. Marm is correct: teeth would quickly tear through the silicone coating. Hmm.. Maybe heat-shrink?Last edited by 3DPiper; 02-10-2017 at 08:50 PM.
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02-11-2017, 04:47 PM #10
Check out smooth-on, they make a variety of mold and casting materials.
Molded pieces can be cast in 1 piece, they don't have to be split in half.
Here's a link to a video where a fellow turner is making food safe tankards, and using food safe epoxy to line them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok2oQVK-F3g&t=7s There's a link in the description to the epoxy. And I get about 32,00 results, most of which are applicable, to a google search.
I've chewed through more SCUBA mouthpieces than I can count. If it's a soft rubbery material on top of a hard plastic, it will fail. And the glues in standard heat shrink are pretty toxic if swallowed. I've never seen dual material mouthpieces for anything I can think of. It's either designed to bust some teeth if chewed on and last forever, or it's designed to be soft, replaceable, and eventually fail. For a musical instrument, which requires specific airflow patterns, and the repetition over a long time period of those patterns, you should probably make a bust-a-tooth style mouthpiece.
Ender 3v2 poor printing quality
10-28-2024, 09:08 AM in Tips, Tricks and Tech Help