Just 3D Printed A Chess Set

[Kaido]

He may still ingest some microplastics. Yeah, we're all doing that now, but you could maybe not actively introduce yet another source to a young child?

I struggle with the "whataboutism" of plastics. Our clothes are plastic:

The hidden plastics in our clothes – and how to avoid them

Most people know that polyester trousers are made of plastic. But, from labels to threads and zippers, it is lurking in many less obvious places too. Here’s how to minimise the amount in your wardrobe – and the harm it causes

www.theguardian.com

I'm chatting on my plastic phone. At my computer typing on my plastic keyboard & mouse wearing my plastic glasses. All of my food comes plastc-wrapped...frozen tots, chilled chicken, dry snack bags. My car is covered in plastic. My online deliveries come in waterproof plastic bags or boxes filled with bubble warp or inflated plastic bags of air. I wear a plastic CPAP mask all night. Most of my cooking utensils are plastic. Ziploc & Rubbermaid are getting sued over their plastic claims:

Ziploc, Rubbermaid Sued for Microplastics Exposure. Are Plastic Food Containers Safe to Use?

Plastic storage products can leach microplastics into foods when frozen or microwaved. Here's how to limit your exposure.

www.cnet.com

Oddly enough, they found that glass bottles have MORE microplastics in them than plastic bottles:

Drinks in glass bottles have more microplastics than plastic bottles

A team of investigators at France's state food agency has discovered that some glass bottles have more microplastics in them than other containers, including those made of plastic. The "surprising finding" came about in tests carried out by the Anses Laboratory for Food Safety, whose researchers...

www.yahoo.com

Nearly all aluminum cans are lined with plastic: (soda, soups, meats, etc.)

Hidden Plastics in Your Aluminum Cans - Non-Toxic Dad

Let’s look closer at the hidden plastic problem in aluminum cans, milk cartons, and other packaging—and explore safer alternatives you can turn to.

nontoxicdad.com

Fish have been swallowing microplastics since the 1950's:

Fish have been swallowing microplastics since the 1950s - Field Museum

www.fieldmuseum.org

Even salt & veggies aren't safe:

Even vegetarians can’t escape, according to a 2021 study. If the plastic is small enough, fruits and vegetables can absorb microplastics through their root systems and transfer those chemical bits to the plant’s stems, leaves, seeds and fruit.

Salt can be packed with plastic. A 2023 study found coarse Himalayan pink salt mined from the ground had the most microplastics, followed by black salt and marine salt. Sugar is also “an important route of human exposure to these micropollutants,” according to a 2022 study.

Rice:

Rice is also a culprit. A University of Queensland study found that for every 100 grams (1/2 cup) of rice people eat, they consume three to four milligrams of plastic — the number jumps to 13 milligrams per serving for instant rice. (You can reduce plastic contamination by up to 40% by washing rice, researchers said.

Meat:

All types of proteins contained microplastics

Breaded shrimp contained the most tiny plastics by far, at well over an average of 300 microplastic pieces per serving. Plant-based nuggets came in second, at under 100 pieces per serving, followed by chicken nuggets, pollock fish sticks, minimally processed White Gulf shrimp, fresh caught Key West pink shrimp and a plant-based fish-like stick.

Fruits & vegetables:

Apples and carrots were the most contaminated fruit and vegetable, respectively, with over 100,000 microplastics per gram. The smallest particles were found in carrots, while the largest pieces of plastic were found in lettuce, which was also the least contaminated vegetable.

We're all gonna look like Max Headroom soon:

 

[lxskllr]

Worrying about plastic may be ultimately pointless, but less plastic is better than more plastic, and frivolous bullshit is an easy place to cut it.

 

[Kaido]

less plastic is better than more plastic

I'd like to know the actual lifetime impact of plastic minimalism, i.e. will reducing plastic on a personal level REALLY have any long-term effect on my lifespan & health, given my daily environmental exposure? I mean, eating a hot dog shaves 36 minutes off your life (at this point I won't make it to retirement LOL). I went through a minimalism & zero-waste phase for awhile:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ZeroWaste/

But even glass mason jar lids have plastic linings to help them seal. Many cork products have plastic adhesives & composite fillers. Cardboard boxes are sealed with plastic tape & shipped with waterproof plastic labels. The amount of exposure we have on a daily basis is horrifying incredible lol.

 

[lxskllr]

Sure, but all those things *do* something. If you're gonna fuck shit up, and least get some real benefit from it. There's a lot of ways to trim around the periphery. The "problem" is they cost a little more than plastic, and in some cases, require more care and attention from the end user. But hey, I'll be dead soon enough anyway, so not my problem, right?

 

[Kaido]

and least get some real benefit from it.

That's what my question would be: is reduction actually worth it? Not just as an idealistic or morality exercise. Will not 3D printing add a year to my lifespan or reduce my statistical likelihood of cancer by any significant amount?

It gets funny in practice...I could go down to Whole Foods to use my reusable containers in the bulk section...which are stored in big, transparent plastic bins, which go into my plastic-coating-lined lids on the glass mason jars, then I touch my plastic credit card to pay for. Does that do anything actually meaningful in practice other than feeling better about using less plastic? Even video game controllers shed microplastics onto our skin:

https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/1jq17d/thats_not_dust_its_the_plastic_from_controller

Two of my main hobbies are 3D printing & sous-viding (vac-sealed plastic bags). The fun & convenience of both would be hard for me to give up, especially based on the statistics of what we'll get exposed to every day regardless of how hard we try:

How To Avoid Microplastics | Products You Should Ditch

Trying to avoid microplastics but not sure where to start? Avoid these 7 products and you can prevent consuming millions of microplastics each day.

blog.cleanhub.com

In early 2024, scientists discovered an average of 240,000 pieces of tiny plastic in each liter of bottled water.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, added that 90% of the particles were nanoplastics, which previous research may have missed.

Again, not that reduction is a bad thing, but I'd like to know if it's really worth it. Like, we know that grilling meat literally raises your cancer risk, but I've made unfortunate peace with that fact:

https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/grilling-meat-raises-cancer-risk-here-are-ways-lower-ithttps://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/grilling-meat-raises-cancer-risk-here-are-ways-lower-it

I figure:

1. We will all die someday
2. We should avoid major risks
3. We should feel good along the way (i.e. try not to poison ourselves) & enjoy life (luddite life optional!)
4. We should be good stewards of the environment

Relative perspective is crazy too...like, I spend waaaay too much time in hospitals due to health issues & it's always shocking to see the insane amount of plastic that just one floor goes through on a daily basis! By nature, most stuff is seal for saey & sanitization & is single-use:

https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/blog/2025/2/20/excessive-plastic-in-healthcare-the-growing-crisis

There are entire organizations out there trying to offset the impact:

Our strategies | Health Care Without Harm

noharm.org

Add Bitcoin mining & A.I. burning up the world's energy...Bitcoin alone is now estimated to be up to 1% of the entire world's energy usage!

One Bitcoin transaction can spend up to 1,200 kWh of energy, which is equivalent to almost 100,000 VISA transactions.

I remember watching a short documentary on the Google homepage logo & how big of an environmental impact it literally had via electricity & bandwidth usage worldwide from being downloaded a zillion times a day. We live in crazy times!!

 

[Gizmo j]

Here is an Einstein bust of all 3 filament colors I have.

 

[nakedfrog]

I struggle with the "whataboutism" of plastics. Our clothes are plastic:

That's not how you use "whataboutism".

"Whataboutism is a rhetorical tactic where someone responds to an accusation by making a counter-accusation instead of addressing the original claim. It often serves to distract from the issue at hand and can be seen as a logical fallacy."

We were literally talking about a 3D printed plastic item someone was planning to give to a child. There is no whataboutism at play, this is literally the thing being discussed. You are the one who posted the article discussing the food safety of 3D printed items that resulted in me making the post you replied to here. Yes, I'm aware plastics are everywhere, and no, I don't think it's a good thing, and I'm also not into letting perfection be the enemy of progress.

 

[Kaido]

That's not how you use "whataboutism".

"Whataboutism is a rhetorical tactic where someone responds to an accusation by making a counter-accusation instead of addressing the original claim. It often serves to distract from the issue at hand and can be seen as a logical fallacy."

We were literally talking about a 3D printed plastic item someone was planning to give to a child. There is no whataboutism at play, this is literally the thing being discussed. You are the one who posted the article discussing the food safety of 3D printed items that resulted in me making the post you replied to here. Yes, I'm aware plastics are everywhere, and no, I don't think it's a good thing, and I'm also not into letting perfection be the enemy of progress.

I'm not sure which fallacy it is that in case LOL. The idea being that we're already exposed to so much micro-plastic contamination...outside of feeling better about making a better choice, will it have any measurable impact long-term to use a 3D-printed toy on occasion vs. a store-bought plastic toy? I'm very much interested in practical data here. America's store shelves are kind of crazy...90% of kid's toys are made of plastic:

https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/10/sustainable-toys-green-plastic-barbie-lego/

The latest research shows that today's babies have 15 times more microplastics in their bodies than adults:

Babies are full of microplastics, new research shows

When comparing stool samples between babies and adults, scientists found up to 15 times more microplastics.

www.euronews.com

The amount of exposure kids get is absolutely bonkers:

Playing with toy bricks can create microplastic pollution

Playing with plastic building bricks can generate significant amounts of microplastic and nanoplastic particles, potentially adding to indoor pollution and raising concerns about health risks.James Urquhart reports for Chemistry World.In short: Researchers found that plastic toy bricks release...

www.ehn.org

Researchers found that plastic toy bricks release thousands of micro- and nanoplastic particles during play.

Friction from assembling and disassembling the bricks causes these particles to form, especially at interlocking studs.

It's not just plastics that are a problem, either...many wooden toys are actually composite wood, which sometimes contains formaldehyde. Toxin control in toys is a real mess:

Beyond Lead: Toxins in Toys

You need to look out for more than just lead. Here is your guide to avoiding to toxins in children's toys.

www.greenamerica.org

On the contrary, the CPSC is “entirely reactive,” says Ruth Ann Norton, the former executive director of the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning (CECLP, part of the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative). Once a toy is already on store shelves, toy manufacturers are required to report to the CPSC if it causes any injuries or deaths, and consumers may submit reports, as well. The government’s current recall mechanism is exclusively “complaint driven,” explains Norton: the CPSC collects reports and may issue a recall of a toy it deems unsafe.

Both plastic AND paper straws are bad as well:

Why Paper Straws Are Bad...And Plastic Straws Are, Too!

Paper straws contain PFAS, while plastic draws can leach microplastics into drinks. Silicone and stainless steel are the healthiest straw materials. Don't drink plastic in hot water.

millionmarker.com

Plastic, silicone, and latex baby pacifiers all have shredding issues:

Nanoplastics released from daily used silicone and latex products during mechanical breakdown - PubMed

Waste of polymer products, especially plastics, in nature has become a problem that caught the awareness of the general public during the last decade. The macro- and micro polymers in nature will be broken down by naturally occurring events such as mechanical wear and ultra-violet (UV) radiation...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

My cousin works in plastic recycling...this stuff is just the tip of iceberg. One of the craziest statistics is that car tires account for 78% of ocean microplastics:

How car tires account for 78% of ocean microplastics: Study

A three-year study done in the UK finds that a car’s four tires churn out one trillion particles for every kilometer driven.

english.almayadeen.net

 

[Chaotic42]

I wonder if you could print something like this:



I adapted it from this post a long time ago:

POV-Ray: Newsgroups: povray.text.scene-files: My favourite isosurface (see p.b.i. for image)

 

[Kaido]

I wonder if you could print something like this:

View attachment 126233

I adapted it from this post a long time ago:

POV-Ray: Newsgroups: povray.text.scene-files: My favourite isosurface (see p.b.i. for image)

Ah man, the memories! POV-Ray is how I got into CGI back in the day!! Then Caligari truSpace! Now I just ask AI to do it lol

 

[Gizmo j]

I just gave the food safe shapes and some other prints to my uncle, he was going to give it to my cousin.

 

[Kaido]

@Gizmo j

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

 

[Gizmo j]

@Gizmo j

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

My 3D printer is pretty small.

 

[Greenman]

@Gizmo j

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

I'm going to have to print one of those. Did we decide if any of the filament is food safe?

 

[Kaido]

I'm going to have to print one of those. Did we decide if any of the filament is food safe?

Technically no 3D prints are really food-safe, however, you can use a steel nozzle & food-safe filament to offset of the badness.

However...my chicken comes wrapped in plastic. My chips are in a plastic bag. My keyboard is plastic. Washing plastic dishes in the dishwasher generates microplastic pollution. Exposure reduction is important, but it seems overly selective & idealistic to not 3D print a few things here & there for fun!

 

[Chaotic42]

That bowl seems like something you could mass produce and actually sell. Here's a plastic food safety chart:



Not all plastics are created equal and they all come with various contaminants - plasticizers, dyes, and such. As mentioned somewhere else in this thread, you're also dealing with surface area where bacteria can hide. 3D prints are rough and have lot of tiny voids. Barring an emergency, I wouldn't use home 3D printed containers for food or drink.

 

[Kaido]

That bowl seems like something you could mass produce and actually sell. Here's a plastic food safety chart:

View attachment 127493

Not all plastics are created equal and they all come with various contaminants - plasticizers, dyes, and such. As mentioned somewhere else in this thread, you're also dealing with surface area where bacteria can hide. 3D prints are rough and have lot of tiny voids. Barring an emergency, I wouldn't use home 3D printed containers for food or drink.

Latest studies:

Because more than 13,000 chemicals are used in plastics, a quarter of which have been classified as hazardous, scientists have said that “no plastic chemical [can be] classified as safe,” according to the press release.

Good thread:

As someone who worked in a polymer lab (specifically an additive company that operated a blown film line and did chemical additives for Fluoropolymer additives to reduce the effect of shark scaling. Full disclousure I worked in IT and had to calibrate machines, not a chemist.) I can tell you flat out no FDM print should be considered 'food safe'. FULL STOP. DONE.

Here is why, you do not have any additives in typical FDM printing that prevent what is commonly called Shark Scaling as a result of extrusion. Unless you are in a sophisticated lab environment your FDM is going to have that defect in the print. And guess what those tiny scales do when disrupted? They shed. You hear about micro-plastics everywhere? Guess where a fair number of them are likely coming from? Extruded plastic products.

So here is what you can do, extrude about 2 inches of FDM filament from your printer and look at it under a microscope. Even a cheap one. Now pull slightly on each end, don't break it, don't distort it, just enough to be a firm pull. Look again. You'll see the shark scale effect either stay the same, or get worse. Depending on temperature, extrusion rate, and material type you will see some form of this. Now, grab a wet rag and run it through that sample and compare the edges. Remember to pull and wipe in both directions simulating if you washed a FDM printed bowl for example.

You'll see a ton of the tips of that effect broken off. Where did the plastic go? Where do you think that PLA ended up? In you if you are eating with something printed.

No. Don't use them in planters either. Don't use them with pets, to be honest, don't use FDM at all if you have concerns about microplastic contamination. As much as I like the hobby, the reality is we are dumping a fair amount of microplastics into the environment unless you take very VERY clinical steps in controlling the print environment. Air temp, air flow, humidity, even elevation has to be taken into account to keep that shark scaling to a minimum and someone's Ender 3 or Prusa sitting in the living room isn't going to cut it for controlling that.

Here is a good video that inadvertently show your the problem:

If I remember right, and this is going back over 20 years, even typical fishing line would shed 1 gram of microplastic under light friction per 100 yards of line... I think... I am really trying to remember that.

I am sure we have some polymer scientists in here that can go into more technical detail but as far as my experience goes, NEVER USE FDM FOR FOOD (Well to be honest we shouldn't probably be doing any at home FDM printing but I doubt that argument would go over well ... as I stare at my FDM 3 feet away....)

Oh and the vapor treatment people use to smooth prints might actually help minimize the microplastic problem but some college kids need to research that.

 

[sdifox]

That bowl seems like something you could mass produce and actually sell. Here's a plastic food safety chart:

View attachment 127493

Not all plastics are created equal and they all come with various contaminants - plasticizers, dyes, and such. As mentioned somewhere else in this thread, you're also dealing with surface area where bacteria can hide. 3D prints are rough and have lot of tiny voids. Barring an emergency, I wouldn't use home 3D printed containers for food or drink.

There is a big difference between injection mounded plastic and 3D printed stuff.

 

[Greenman]

There is a big difference between injection mounded plastic and 3D printed stuff.

It's pretty good for prototyping, once you have the part dialed in than you go to injection molding for production.

 

[sdifox]

It's pretty good for prototyping, once you have the part dialed in than you go to injection molding for production.

Yeah great for custom fab and prototyping. Not so much mass production or anything food related.

I like this guy

Ivan Miranda

I make projects about what makes me tick. I'm into digital fabrication, 3D printing, electronics, woodworking, instrument making, metalworking, and anything geeky in general. I'll try to give as much info as possible about my projects so anyone can try an replicate. Hope you like my projects...

m.youtube.com

 

[Chaotic42]

Latest studies:



Good thread:

That paper seems to be talking about recycled plastics, which in my limited knowledge, has always been a questionably useful process. My University doesn't have access to the article in Science that everyone keeps quoting, but I take "no plastic chemical can be considered safe" as "no precursor or reagent in plastic manufacture has been generally recognized as safe". Since I can't see the actual quote, and I don't trust a site called "EcoWatch" to give me a balanced take on the toxicity of plastics, it's hard for me to have a take on this outside the realm of plastic recycling.

Here's the actual paper:
Link

There is a big difference between injection mounded plastic and 3D printed stuff.

Which is my point. I wouldn't eat off of a 3D printed dish if given the choice.

 

[Greenman]

Yeah great for custom fab and prototyping. Not so much mass production or anything food related.

I like this guy

Ivan Miranda

I make projects about what makes me tick. I'm into digital fabrication, 3D printing, electronics, woodworking, instrument making, metalworking, and anything geeky in general. I'll try to give as much info as possible about my projects so anyone can try an replicate. Hope you like my projects...

m.youtube.com

I wonder about the overall utility of a 3d printer for the average Joe . I've run off a few things for my shop that are handy, but the entire group just barely justifies the cost of the printer, and I picked that up cheap. I have absolutely no interest in toys or figurines, though I would probably print an A10 or SR71 if I came across the right model.

 

[lxskllr]

My interest would mainly be in the occasional bespoke part, and that means I have to learn CAD. That's more than I feel like dealing with for the times it would occasionally be useful. Add to that, dicking around with the machine to get it right; it sounds like problems to me.

 

[sdifox]

I wonder about the overall utility of a 3d printer for the average Joe . I've run off a few things for my shop that are handy, but the entire group just barely justifies the cost of the printer, and I picked that up cheap. I have absolutely no interest in toys or figurines, though I would probably print an A10 or SR71 if I came across the right model.

it takes a bit of work to learn how to use it and find a purpose as well. Making a part that broke that cannot easily be replaced is a good thing.

 

[Greenman]

it takes a bit of work to learn how to use it and find a purpose as well. Making a part that broke that cannot easily be replaced is a good thing.

As lxskllr pointed out, if you're doing things like replacement parts or prototyping, you need a pretty good handle on 3d cad. For me, 2d cad is a day at the beach, 3d cad is a confusing morass of commands and concepts. I gave up the entire idea of doing anything productive with it after several frustrating hours of trying to produce a simple cube with a hole in it.

None of this was a surprise to me, that's why I waited until a really good deal came along on a used printer. I had a pretty good idea of the things I wanted to print that had readily available models.