Understanding 3D printing safely

Yes — fully cured and cleaned 3D-printed parts are harmless for normal use. Occasional skin contact (figurines, housings, holders) is no problem.

The GHS pictograms (international hazard symbols) on resin packaging apply to the raw material before printing — not to your finished product.

• ⚠ Exclamation mark (H317): may cause skin allergies — applies to uncured raw resin, not cured parts.
• 🌊 Environment (H412): harmful to aquatic organisms — applies to disposal of raw material.
• 🔥 Flame: flammable — applies to the IPA cleaner, our internal working medium.

• Sanding: Yes — in a well-ventilated area, with a dust mask. Wet sanding is even better as it produces little dust.
• Painting: Yes — acrylic and spray paints adhere well. Lightly sand the surface first for better adhesion.
• Gluing: Superglue (cyanoacrylate) and epoxy work excellently on PLA and ABS.
• Drilling: Possible — slowly, sharp bit, so the plastic does not crack.

No — by default neither SLA nor FDM prints are suitable for permanent food contact. Two reasons:

• Layer lines form microscopic grooves where bacteria settle and which cannot be fully cleaned.
• Pigments and additives in the filament can leach on contact with food.

Solution: apply a food-safe epoxy coating (e.g. FDA-compliant) over the print.

• PLA: not for permanent outdoor use — softens in heat (~55 °C), UV-sensitive, biodegradable.
• PETG: conditionally suitable — better than PLA, but UV-unstable long-term.
• ASA: ideal for outdoors — UV-stable, heat-resistant (HDT ~90 °C), weatherproof.
• ABS: UV-sensitive, becomes brittle — not for permanent outdoor use.

Considerably more robust than often assumed — but not as strong as injection-moulded parts of the same material. The key difference:

• FDM parts are very strong in the print plane (XY). Perpendicular to it (Z direction, between layers) they are 30–50% weaker.
• SLA prints are more homogeneous, but often more brittle than FDM parts.

For load-bearing or safety-relevant parts, always talk to us beforehand — we advise on the right material and print orientation.

Yes — just request it by email. We provide the current SDS for the material used.

Official manufacturer sources:

• Elegoo SDS (SGS-certified)
• Formlabs datasheets
• Prusament SDS
• Polymaker TDS + SDS
• EU Chemicals Agency ECHA

Fully cured prints are harmless for occasional pet contact. A few notes:

• No bowls or feeding parts from 3D printing in permanent contact with food (as food safety in general).
• Dog toys: PLA and PETG are not suitable for strong chewers — pieces can splinter off and be swallowed.
• Decorative animal figurines: fully cured, no problem.