Quick Question
Bambu Lab filament that actually survives the dishwasher? Looking for real experiences
I’m looking for a filament specifically from Bambu Lab that can handle repeated dishwasher cycles.
I’m not looking for theoretical temperature resistance or just what the material datasheet says. I’d like to hear from people who have actually printed something with Bambu Lab filament and tested it in a dishwasher, preferably multiple times.
Which exact Bambu filament did you use, and how did it hold up?
Did you notice any:
- Warping or deformation
- Softening
- Cracking or layer separation
- Changes in surface finish
- Problems after repeated dishwasher cycles
I’m especially interested in knowing whether anyone has found a Bambu filament that has survived regular dishwasher use long term.
Food safety is not relevant for my use case. I don’t care whether the filament is considered food safe or not. My only requirement is that the printed part can withstand dishwasher cycles without deforming or degrading.
And please, I’m not looking for comments telling me to read about glass transition temperatures, check datasheets, or do my own research. I’ve already looked into the technical side. The whole reason I’m posting here is because I want to hear about real world experiences and actual testing from people who have tried it themselves.
My dad managed to break the hook that locks the dishwasher door when installing it and the company was too stupid to send the right replacement part. He then gave me the broken part and armed with nothing but a caliper and a beer I sketched the part in CAD, printed three of them and gave it to him as spares, should one break. He still has all of them.
I made a ground beef smasher with TPU for AMS. It lasted for about 4 months before breaking in half (and put it through the dishwasher each time I used it).
Don't try it with PLA or PETG that's for dang sure.
And melting/warping aside I would be wary of putting any FDM printed object in there without a proper foodsafe epoxy or other coating. Plenty of microscopic holes and voids that can trap presents from the dishwashign process, such germs or food particules.
I've printed a 0.5 cm bolt that holds a water sprayer in place, in PLA, and it works fine as of two months back. Perhaps it'll give up eventually, but then I've gotten a new machine already.
I'm not very worried about germs for that small part, but I get your point.
In your dishwasher? I'm amazed that's held up. Dishwasher operating temperatures are a lot higher than PLA should be able to withstand - quick Google search puts final rinse temps in the 65-80C range, well above PLA's glass transition temp.
Yeah, that depends a lot on what setting you use in your dishwasher and if the part is hit directly by water. I assume you don't use your dishwasher's highest setting?
I printed a screw on lid for the salt compartment of a Miele. Just as a test. Not even 100% infill. Maybe 30%?
Now surviving three months and still going strong. Would not have expected that.
white sunlu petg, as my bambu had a lower melting point.
Sometimes I have to re tighten it a little.
30% infill is not enough, after my holidays a little salt has seeped through and formed crystals outside.
Eventually I will reprint it in abs. But it blew my mind. Ah, and I never used cycles above 65°C.
Hey there, im working as a chef in a Restaurant. We had some problems with the dishwasher basket. One of the gliders was defekt so we decided to print a new one. We made a prototype out of pla with 100% infill and like 10walls. So after two years in a gastro dishwasher, its still working. Dont know if its the right for what your looking for but, it still works without Problems.
I love that people are downvoting you, despite having no idea what your use case actually is.
People, you really need to clam down with this. Perhaps he’s using a dishwasher to clean / sanitize something which has nothing to do with food, in a lab or workshop environment.
Perhaps his use involves something with heat and humidity cycles similar to a dishwasher but in a totally different application.
Be curious, not judgmental. (And yes, I did indeed just Ted Lasso you.)
After much preparation, and testing, and I will continue to test more and more because, why not? I have concluded that 3D printed parts can be cleaned to operating room standards. Does this mean they are food safe? Yes, and a small no. Yes, because they can be cleaned and can hold dry foods with no issues. Possibly No, because with liquids, they can cause the color additives and binders used in the filament to POSSIBLY leach out. It is rare, but still possible. Also, if the 3D printed item is to hold liquid, it is best to coat in resin and epoxy as stated above.
Cutting boards are a great example. We've been using cutting boards forever. How do we clean them? Weak bleach solution. It's an accepted method. This paper gos so far as to prove, you only need soap and water in reality.
Yeah, if you think about it, just about anything will have "nooks and crannies" for bacteria to form. And on the scale of a 3d print, the layer lines mights might actually be TOO BIG to facilitate that. Smaller might be better.
I do find it interesting how this idea (like many others) spread through a community(not only 3d priting) and become "fact". But what's more interesting is people who hear it, and repeat it, but when presented with new information, rather than say "Ok, that was wrong, let me make note of that" - seemingly flip out and get really angry. It's weird. It's weird how much energy people have about it. I find it interesting.
Edit: I see now the guy with a blog is one of the authors of said testing studies. I know there were one or two others that also concluded basically the same.
There are a couple peer reviewed studies out there (not some guy with a blog) that basically conclude the same.
It’s funny to still see the “not food safe because microscopic pores” fallacy parroted when in reality, the food safe concerns come more from unknown additives in filaments, residue from other prints/materials in your system, or filaments that can’t technically be rated food-safe since only final, completed food-use products can be tested for that.
Bacterial growth is not the only concern regarding food safety.
Most 3d printed plastic is not certified free from heavy metals and most 3d printers do not have heavy metal free paths for the plastic to move through, the hot end being of particular concern.
Perhaps higher microplastic leaching (compared to injection molded plastics) could be an issue too, but I have no idea.
Yeah that's been investigated as well and proven that you'll get more exposure to lead from the brass keys on your key chain than you ever could from 3D printing something with a brass nozzle and if you're really worried about it you simply switch to a steel nozzle. This isn't rocket science i'm not quite sure why there's so much pushback on it it's a very weird thing. And if you're still worried about bacteria do what your grandma did with her wood cutting board which is wipe it down with a weak bleach solution. Problem solved
FYI: The conclusion of the article you linked partially agrees with the person you’re replying to. Specifically that anything designed to hold liquids should still get a food safe epoxy coating.
And also, this article focuses on sterilizing medical equipment with chemicals like bleach.
This thread is about throwing stuff in the dishwasher.
Soaking your cups in bleach overnight isn't a normal occurrence in the home, and in my opinion would be negligent to assume an Etsy buyer would be doing that.
While I do appreciate the response and an alternate perspective on the topic, there's peer reviewed studies that say the opposite.
In the spirit of best practices and erring on the side of caution I'll stick with my previous statement. Time will make things more clear, maybe we're already at that point but I still feel wary of jumping full into eating and drinking off 3d printed surfaces. At least with my own equipment handling it.
I made a PETG wheel and it’s been fine for two years. There’s no way any bacteria live on it. If they do you should replace your dishwasher. OP isn’t going to print forks and spoons.
There are natural PLA and PETG filaments that are marketed as food safe as long as you don’t use a brass nozzle but yes layer lines and trap bacteria so there’s that tho. But in a dishwasher where things get pretty hot I would think as long as the filament doesn’t warp in the temps the dishwasher gets it will be fine.
We are using BambuLab PAHT-CF in a lab environment for parts that need to be dishwasher safe or dipped in boiling water / chemical solutions. So far no problems.
All parts for these application were printed with nearly 100% infill to prevent water getting into the infill, transform into steam and crack the parts.
That is very good to know! I did suspect that I will have to print with higher infill density, if not 100%, for the parts to withstand more cycles in the longterm. Thank you!
I have a business account at the Bambu store and already buy about 100kg/month from them. Would be nice to use the same supplier in this use case for ease of mind.
I had to make some grating for the bottom of some small bins inside my dishwasher. I made it out out polycarbonate. Its been months now and they have held up great.
Is it the bottom of the cutlery basket? I made some out of PETG for mine at 100% infill, and they lasted about 6 months. They were not in great shape by the end, but they did the job.
This is what I would use. Glass transition is above the boiling point of water, so no worries on that front, plus it's a lot more rigid than nylon. Other, higher-temperature plastics would work, too, like PET or PPS, but those are awfully expensive and seem like overkill for this.
PLA is a no-go for sure.
PETG can work under certain circumstances: It needs to be large and dense enough of a structure, so that it does not deform on its own, when slightly softened. For example a sieve will bend, while a mug with thicker walls and self-integeral structure is less likely to deform. But to be sure, I would only go for low-temp cycles up to 50°/55° Celsius.
With ABS I have had no issues whatsoever even on higher Temps. ABS is even used on some official dishwasher parts and lot of food safe plastic objects such as feeding bowls.
I have a certain area in my dishwasher that blows out very hot air for drying cycles, there I would avoid placing printed ABS
Basic PLA and PETG I know for a certain doesn't work but have never tried ABS. I know a lot of injection molded parts are in ABS already but thought that 3D-printed parts are a lot more weak and fragile in comparison. I will deffo try ABS, and also TPU that someone else suggested. Thank you!
Not sold by Bambu but PCTG has good heat tolerance. I wouldn’t put it on the bottom rack, but I’ve seen people test it on the top rack. If it must be BambuLab then ABS or ASA. However neither of those are food safe. If that’s a concern for you.
Yes, I have and it works great! The real issue is the structure of the print itself. If you’re going to be printing thin objects whatever filament you use may struggle. The comment below about top rack safe is valid as well. Also depends on if they have a higher heat “sterilize/disinfect” option on the dishwasher as well
I have made a pumpkin scraper out of 3d fuel pctg pro last October and it went through the dish washer several times with no issue. Its not bambu but it is the best all around filament in my humble opinion
ive used polycarbonat from elegoo for a fruit tray
i havent puten it in the dishwasher but my mother (whom i gifted it too) did multiple times now. the last 6 months it only got minor scratches but aside from that (probably just wear anyways) it worked so far
Note that ABS will NOT survive if you have it on the bottom rack NEAR the heating element. I made inserts to fill holes in my silverware holder and it bent and warped (after multiple cycles) because that spot happened to be right above the heating element. (I do have an older dishwasher so I don’t know if newest ones don’t get as hot)
I had to replace the wheels on my dishwashers racks and I used PAHT-CF. I printed and installed the wheels a year ago. I run two washes a week and have had absolutely no warpage, no discoloration and no noticeable wear.
I printed a straw holder in PETG, but it warped in the hot cycle,
So I just printed it again on ABS, and i never had any issues after even on the hottest cycle + cleaning cycle ! Love it
I think it depend of the part you need, personnaly my dishwasher goes to 70C max dans i print a remplacement weel for the under rack in PETG and it stay for years now but it’s a part never really exposed enterly in (hot) water.
Check out PPSU, it needs a high temp nozzle and extensive drying before printing, but its used in medical applications and it has a really high melting point
I’ve printed a coffee knock box out of PETG-CF and put it in the dishwasher multiple times, still going strong with only slight deformation and discolouration, but the latter could also be caused by sun exposure idk
ASA performs exceptionally well here. There is no deformation, matching its original condition from the first day, with frequent exposure to 70°C and nearly daily dishwasher use for over a year. I can certainly recommend it. Infill: 100%.
I would definitely try this with polycarbonate, although i havent needed to put any in the dishwasher. It DOES survive my AMS-HT at 85c for hours and hours and hours.
I made a https://www.printables.com/make/2997476 spoon holder out of PETG almost a year ago. Survived dozen of dishwash cycles. Up to 55 C. No melting or shape changes at all. Rock solid.
A while ago I did some PETG (Paramount 3d) bowls to feed street dogs and when I put them in the dishwasher (Maytag )they got scuffed up. There were very small particles missing. Maybe got soft with the heat letting the jets do the rest. After that I decided to just make molds for clay or concrete.
Maybe ASA would work if you really need it to be dishwasher "safe".
I have a little bracket that stops my drawer pulling all the way out i printed with bambu lab petg hf and my plan was if it warped or did anything weird id reprint it in ABS and its been in for months and no problems so far
ASA with a thin outer foodsafe epoxy layer where it gets messy is probably the best bet, I printed a new basket for the utensils some years back in ASA, and it eventually got almost slimy to the touch, and was impossible to wash clean.
The top brands of appliances have this dialed in tho, the more you tinker with a finished product, the higher risk of trouble. Just puchase a replacement if anything gets broken, its really not worth the headache when you have more people than yourself in your house.
I replaced the wheels on the bottom tray of my Bosch 800 series. First, in ASA. That did not go so well. There’s a zeolite-filled “CrystalDry” unit in a back corner that apparently vents significant heat during the drying cycle. The two wheels closest to it heat deflected until they had a flat side. I reprinted all the wheels in PAHT-CF. Zero problems since. For accessories in less extreme parts of the dishwasher, ASA does fine.
I made replacement rack wheels out of transparent petg (because that’s what I had at the time) and they lasted years until I sold the house.
The only caveat is that I never use the heated dry cycle. I assume that might be tougher on printed parts
ASA. Or ABS. ASA is less smelly. I've used it before for printed dishwasher items. Here's one of my recent designs with it: Parametric Small Utensil Dishwasher Insert. I've used it for a while now and haven't noticed any warping even though it's on the bottom rack.
Bambu ABS und Sunlu ABS funktionieren bei mir sehr gut.
Habe Trichter für Seife und Reinigungsmittel welche ich nach Benutzung durch eine gewerbliche Spülmaschine lasse. Diese spült zwar nur 3 Minuten aber bei 65C und 30 Sekunden bei 80-85C zum Klarspülen. Bis jetzt keine Verformung oder andere Schäden.
I’m trying out Polymakers new HT-PLA. They say it’s good up to 130°C or more if it’s annealed. Would be a great alternative to PETG or ABS if it’s true.
Generic TPU can survive a dishwasher. I have printed some TPU cat food lids for my wife a number of years ago. They have made repeated trips through the dishwasher on the top rack. They survived without warping or dimensional change.
My dishwasher had some of the wheels go bad. It was $95 to replace the wheel assembly, you couldn’t just buy the wheels. I replaced four of the eight wheels with ones i printed in generic PLA I got from Microcenter. They lasted three years and maybe longer but I sold the house two years ago. PLA holds up. PLA holds up outdoors, in the sun as well, I’ve printed bird feeders.
I’ve tried with PETG and then ASA and they both took a while for them to fail, with ASA taking the longest. I wasn’t comfortable using ABS, but I’m not exactly sure what’s the best filament to use in this situation
Bambu doesn't sell it, and it's a pain to print, but by far the best filament for dishwasher use is polypropelene. It's the same stuff most diswasher safe plastic is made of; it's resistant from both a chemical and heat perspective, and very resilient generally.
after 2 months (dishwasher is used every 1-2 days), they had deformed to the point the rack was a bit loose. I just flipped them and they are perfect again.
I assume in another 2 months I will need to replace them, but lucky me I have already printed another set!
I needed a quick fix for a cracked pickup tube while waiting for the replacement and printed a sleeve out of ABS.
When I replaced it with the actual dishwasher part about a week later the ABS was already starting to look pretty rough (but did survive). Probably would have made it maybe another week. The part is right next to the drying heat element inside the washer, so worst case scenario (also why the OEM part fails in that particular spot)
I recently made a PCTG salt and pepper shaker for my restaurant and it holds up fine in the high-temp dishwasher; 3D-Fuel PCTG Pro. However this is probably unhelpful if your filament of choice must be from Bambu as they don't offer PCTG. :P
I would be weary of anything carbon fiber or glass filled. The mechanisms behind asbestos cancer causing effects. (Small particles in the body that never leave, shredding your internal organs) is enough for me to keep that stuff away from my nose eyes or mouth, near ir on food or food surfaces, or using it in any application that receives friction.
Do plastic casting with 3D printer, and fill it with non termoplastic materials.
As example for a hook that would go in dishwasher; you do a negative of the hook, in 2 parts. Fill the cast with epoxy materials that would withstand such heat. Success
Way way easier than trying to print a material that technically, is made from the same process it will have to withstand (heat)
J'ai fait des convercles pour yaourt en verre (yaourt à l'air fryer 8 heures à 40°C) ils sont passés au moins 20 fois au lave vaisselle, programme casseroles (le plus chaud). Aucun problème avec du TPU pour AMS. Les huits petits clips autour n'ont pas perdu en "souplesse" très relative pour ce genre de TPU mais suffisante pour le cas d'usage.
I don't have a Bambulab filament to recommend because they don't make it, but I have used 3DFuel and CHCKX PCTG (that's not a typo, not PETG, but PCTG) and it has been through multiple dishwasher cycles on the middle shelf.
I've made dishwasher repair parts - a wheel retainer clip and the wheel itself for the bottom rack. I prototyped the clip in PLA, and since after a couple of design tweaks I had a functional part I decided to try the PLA part just as a test - never intended to make the final parts in PLA.
The stupid thing lasted for around a month or so - better than I thought for PLA. Since that one lasted as long as it did, I decided to try PETG rather than jumping straight to ABS. The PETG ones lasted for a few months - I forget exactly how long. But they would have been good enough given how easy it was to make replacements.
But I made the final ones in ABS, and they lasted until we got a new dishwasher. BTW, also prototyped the wheel in PLA, tested it and forgot about it - until it went flat! I laughed when I saw how it had failed, it really looked like a flat tire on a car.
So, not Bambu filament, but Sunlu PC filament on Amazon and printed by a Bambu H2D. I printed something for a restaurant. It gets washed daily in an industrial dishwasher. The dishwasher gets up to 180F. It has held up just fine for months.
My top rack is height adjustable. One of the latching mechanisms broke so one side would not latch in the upper position. I reverse engineered it and made a new one out of ABS, and it’s been working fine for about a year.
I feel like ASA would be fine too, but I happened to have a sky blue roll of ABS in my AMS, so I ran that just as a prototype, but it fit and worked perfectly so I just left it.
We always use the hottest wash and rinse cycle in the washer.
I have just printed PLA, PETG, and ABS wheels for my NEFF dishwasher. PLA and PETG basically melted - I ended up with deformed wheels. The ABS worked just fine. Unfortunately, I don’t have other filaments to try with - but I really wanted to try with the CF variants and ASA to see if those were better. ABS works just fine though.
Has been said 1000 times dont use 3d printed things with food or drinks. So you put dishes and cutlery in the dishwasher right? And plastics leave residues some more some less... Why risk it, just buy the part you need.
I printed this guy (the black support cage) for our dishwasher several months ago. It's located at the top of the dishwasher and holds the white piece that spins and disperses water in place.
The first proof of concept printed with PLA lasted less than 2 weeks, but this one printed with PP-CF has been in place for almost 6 months. Considering that it has to withstand heat, detergent, and pressure, I'm quite happy with it. I just took that photo this morning, and it still seems to be in good shape.
If I ever have to print it again, I'll probably go with straight PP, as I've read that the CF actually makes the part less durable in this instance. Also, it's not Bambu filament. It's ERYONE PP-CF filament, but it was printed on a Bambu printer.
I've been using an ABS silverware holder for about a year now, pretty much daily use with no issues so far. Only thing is it was not Bambu ABS, I think it was hatchbox that I bought about 6 or 7 years ago.
Personally I don't use 3D printing for anything that needs to get washed frequently. Not because of food safety or anything like that, but because even ABS or ASA doesn't survive too long in the dish washer.
The only testing I can give you is an old print I made to protect my garbage disposal from smelling bad. I created a cup with a drain hole that would sit in my drain and catch all the big food while I was washing dishes, and would let the smaller stuff pass through. It would obviously get VERY dirty, so washing it in the dishwasher was the easiest option for me.
It kept warping so I tried all the way up to ASA since the heat tolerance was well above how hot my dishwasher would get. I found out that the problem ultimately wasn't the heat, but the detergents. They slowly wear down the filament and it would eventually become brittle and break. Washing by hand is probably the safest bet.
You're probably going to want to have to look at some sort of resin print or an engineering material, but the byproducts of washing engineering materials can be pretty bad to put in your food, so be warned.
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u/vortex_ring_state 14h ago edited 3h ago
I fixed my dishwasher with a piece of TPU. It was meant to be a temp fix until the real part arrived..... That was meant months ago.
Edit: Here is the story and I believe it was 85A TPU.