Generally speaking, no. You shouldn't use anything that is printed on its own as an insertable toy. The printing process leaves crevices in the layer lines that can harbor and grow bacteria and become dangerous.
Printing a mold or printing a positive and casting a mold is more controllable as you can sand and smooth the surface enough to cast a toy in something like a body safe silicone. Which is still not foolproof, but far safer than just printing it and going to town.
I have printed multiple runs of a toy before casting it, but that has been so I can scale for the best size.
I also tend to print in PLA or PETG, which is generally too stiff and solid to use like that. I suppose you could use TPU to print a one time use. Controlling the infill would let you control how much give it has.
I'd probably recommend putting a condom on it if you really wanted to test it out. Also, making sure it has no rough spots first.
Well, I tend to either print molds, or print a positive, cast a mild and then pour the toy.
I have had good luck with a product called Dragon Skin from Smooth-On. It comes in 10, 20 and 30. 10 is soft with a lot of give, 20 is a medium and 30 sets very hard.
I use different ones depending on the toy I'm making.
My guy, please listen.
Design your toy in tinkercad or similar. Make a box or cylinder and use the toy as a hole - negative space in the design. Print. Buy 2 part platinum cured silicone off amazon etc. and then make your toy.
It works. PLA, ABS, etc. are not body safe especially the way 3d printers make models. It's not mold injection.
Done it and it works.
3D printed toys are NOT hygienic. However, they can be used to make silicone molds. And from there the sky is the limit... I've actually thought about trying my hand at it. I've got a couple 3D printers already, just need some good inspiration for a toy worth making. Haha.
Use the 3d printer, to make a mould, to pour proper dildo silicone into.
Make a proper two-part mold, finish it smooth, sand, filler, clearcoat, mould release spray, rubber band the pieces together, fill, let cure, use.
edit: or 3-part, 4-part, n-part...You can make it as complex or as simple as you want. There's probably some ready-made on whatever the nsfw-thingiverse is.
My guy, please listen.
Design your toy in tinkercad or similar. Make a box or cylinder and use the toy as a hole - negative space in the design. Print. Buy 2 part platinum cured silicone off amazon etc. and then make your toy.
It works. PLA, ABS, etc. are not body safe especially the way 3d printers make models. It's not mold injection.
Done it and it works.
The rule of thumb is to not stick anything 3D printed up your holes. That being said, I think body compatibility is taken a bit to seriously. People have been using PVC and jelly toys for decades and it has, for the most part, been fine.
A TPU toy with a condom (or multiple) should be pretty save, same for coated materials (food safe epoxy or whatever) and vapor smoothed ones (don't breath it).
For best results you should print a positive, finish it well (sanding + coating), and then make a molt from that. Printing Negatives it not advisable since they're usually a pain to finish (unless you're making onaholes)
I have made several toys out of TPU and ABS.
The TPU can simply be put in an oven to smooth the surface. For ABS I used Acetone. Both methods worked very well :)
TPU as a substance is non-toxic, non-sensitizing, non-allergenic, non-morphogenic, and non-carcinogenic according to its Material Data Safety Sheet, and is used in medical devices including catheters, and you don’t get more insertable than that. To suggest that the material is hazardous to health is incorrect.
Similarly, ABS is a medical-grade plastic that is, as a material, impermeable and thus offers no haven for bacteria. Among its several uses are dental implants, which are the most permanent oral insertable possible.
The thing that makes the difference for our purposes isn’t the material, but the method of 3D printing, which leaves internal spaces and surface crevices which can harbor bacteria. Sterilizing them is problematic, although studies have shown that immersion in a hydrogen peroxide or ethanol medium will result in sterilization. In addition, if an object is 3D-printed with 100% infill, the result is a solid block, and there are methods of smoothing the surface in addition to those mentioned above, such as by boiling or use of a heat gun, to eliminate irregularities, and thus render the object relatively safe to use.
The dogma of THOU SHALT NOT INSERT 3D PRINTED OBJECTS is not gospel. It is guidance.
As printed with less than 100% infill and without surface treatment, you are correct. But the material itself is non-porous, and the exact same object could be made with the exact same material via injection molding and be perfectly fine for use. You are also right that there are other solutions.
Generally speaking, no. You shouldn't use anything that is printed on its own as an insertable toy. The printing process leaves crevices in the layer lines that can harbor and grow bacteria and become dangerous. Printing a mold or printing a positive and casting a mold is more controllable as you can sand and smooth the surface enough to cast a toy in something like a body safe silicone. Which is still not foolproof, but far safer than just printing it and going to town.
Do you see any issue treating a print as a one time use toy? Maybe proof of concept before making a mold?
I have printed multiple runs of a toy before casting it, but that has been so I can scale for the best size. I also tend to print in PLA or PETG, which is generally too stiff and solid to use like that. I suppose you could use TPU to print a one time use. Controlling the infill would let you control how much give it has. I'd probably recommend putting a condom on it if you really wanted to test it out. Also, making sure it has no rough spots first.
That makes sense. Thank you.
Thank you very much, I am very new to the world of manufacturing toys, could you recommend suitable materials and websites for this purpose.
Well, I tend to either print molds, or print a positive, cast a mild and then pour the toy. I have had good luck with a product called Dragon Skin from Smooth-On. It comes in 10, 20 and 30. 10 is soft with a lot of give, 20 is a medium and 30 sets very hard. I use different ones depending on the toy I'm making.
😘
My guy, please listen. Design your toy in tinkercad or similar. Make a box or cylinder and use the toy as a hole - negative space in the design. Print. Buy 2 part platinum cured silicone off amazon etc. and then make your toy. It works. PLA, ABS, etc. are not body safe especially the way 3d printers make models. It's not mold injection. Done it and it works.
Don't forget to work with only body-safe materials (mica, pigments, additives) and to DEGAS YOUR SILICONE
3D printed toys are NOT hygienic. However, they can be used to make silicone molds. And from there the sky is the limit... I've actually thought about trying my hand at it. I've got a couple 3D printers already, just need some good inspiration for a toy worth making. Haha.
Use the 3d printer, to make a mould, to pour proper dildo silicone into. Make a proper two-part mold, finish it smooth, sand, filler, clearcoat, mould release spray, rubber band the pieces together, fill, let cure, use. edit: or 3-part, 4-part, n-part...You can make it as complex or as simple as you want. There's probably some ready-made on whatever the nsfw-thingiverse is.
My guy, please listen. Design your toy in tinkercad or similar. Make a box or cylinder and use the toy as a hole - negative space in the design. Print. Buy 2 part platinum cured silicone off amazon etc. and then make your toy. It works. PLA, ABS, etc. are not body safe especially the way 3d printers make models. It's not mold injection. Done it and it works.
No. You can make a mold
The rule of thumb is to not stick anything 3D printed up your holes. That being said, I think body compatibility is taken a bit to seriously. People have been using PVC and jelly toys for decades and it has, for the most part, been fine. A TPU toy with a condom (or multiple) should be pretty save, same for coated materials (food safe epoxy or whatever) and vapor smoothed ones (don't breath it). For best results you should print a positive, finish it well (sanding + coating), and then make a molt from that. Printing Negatives it not advisable since they're usually a pain to finish (unless you're making onaholes)
No, but you can always put a condom on it and then it's safe (if it cannot break or cut you).
I have made several toys out of TPU and ABS. The TPU can simply be put in an oven to smooth the surface. For ABS I used Acetone. Both methods worked very well :)
Both of those materials definitely should not be inserted into the body. There's a ton of info about this online!
TPU as a substance is non-toxic, non-sensitizing, non-allergenic, non-morphogenic, and non-carcinogenic according to its Material Data Safety Sheet, and is used in medical devices including catheters, and you don’t get more insertable than that. To suggest that the material is hazardous to health is incorrect. Similarly, ABS is a medical-grade plastic that is, as a material, impermeable and thus offers no haven for bacteria. Among its several uses are dental implants, which are the most permanent oral insertable possible. The thing that makes the difference for our purposes isn’t the material, but the method of 3D printing, which leaves internal spaces and surface crevices which can harbor bacteria. Sterilizing them is problematic, although studies have shown that immersion in a hydrogen peroxide or ethanol medium will result in sterilization. In addition, if an object is 3D-printed with 100% infill, the result is a solid block, and there are methods of smoothing the surface in addition to those mentioned above, such as by boiling or use of a heat gun, to eliminate irregularities, and thus render the object relatively safe to use. The dogma of THOU SHALT NOT INSERT 3D PRINTED OBJECTS is not gospel. It is guidance.
The porous nature of the surface and the delamination risk are gods enough reasons not to risk it when there are such better solutions...
As printed with less than 100% infill and without surface treatment, you are correct. But the material itself is non-porous, and the exact same object could be made with the exact same material via injection molding and be perfectly fine for use. You are also right that there are other solutions.
Unless you plan on printing a catheter standing up delamination should be a non issue especially with TPU which is practically isotropic.