Is Kapton tape safe for food?

[Erwin Ried]

Just a quick question, anyone knows? (for example to fix something
that needs to contain some hot food)

[RocketSled]

Material Data Safety Sheet for Kapton.

Basically: no risk for ingestion.

[Doogiekr]

pretty sure "INGESTION: Not a probable route of exposure for film." just means it is unlikely that someone would accidentally ingest the film... don't think it means "you can eat it and you will be fine"

But I could be wrong.....

[Doogiekr]

I also think that the MSDS applies to the actual Dupont Kapton ... since my roll from MBI has no labeling on it at all, it could very well be a Chinese knock off that does not follow US standards at all... but again... I could be wrong... (but I won't be using it for cooking with in my own house)

[RocketSled]

OK.  Try this: 3M MSDS

"Ingestion: Physical Blockage:  Signs/symptoms may include cramping, abdominal pain, and constipation." and "If Swallowed: No need for first aid is anticipated."

[Doogiekr]

Sorry, my mistake... guess this means even the stuff from China is safe for my kids to eat...

[Doogiekr]

I apologize RocketSled, I know your just trying to help... and I respect your opinion and input here in the forums, I think I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed today (or I am coming down with the flu again) ... either way, really am sorry for being a grumpy old man today.

[Erwin Ried]

Thanks! 3M doc says: Hazardous decomposition products may occur as a
result of oxidation, heating, or reaction with another material.

Seems not so food friendly

[Adan Akerman]

See other thread, though: some have experimented with sugar-on-glass... Which would definitely be foodsafe.

Not well tested yet though :-)

--

[RocketSled]

On Monday, December 10, 2012 10:46:50 PM UTC-5, Doogiekr wrote:

I apologize RocketSled, I know your just trying to help... and I respect your opinion and input here in the forums, I think I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed today (or I am coming down with the flu again) ... either way, really am sorry for being a grumpy old man today.

No need of apology, my friend.  Sarcasm is a well establish method of editorial critique.  

The 3M MSDS does say it's non-toxic if eaten.  Of course, if you're getting your Kapton from China and not 3M, who can say what it's really made of.  So your point is valid. 

As for Oxidation/Heating/Reaction, this is not applicable.  Kapton is "self extinguishing".  It'll burn in 100% Oxygen, but will only char in air. The by products of combustion are mostly Carbon Mon and Di Oxide.  It does not melt.  Until you get it hot enough, it is completely stable.  And you need to heat it to around 400C before anything starts to really cook off.  The temperatures we expose it to are too low to matter. 

I wouldn't eat the stuff, but if I was going to print something that came in contact with food on a HBP with Kapton tape, I wouldn't worry about it.  What's actually in the ABS is probably more worth considering...

[Dan Newman]

> I wouldn't eat the stuff, but if I was going to print something that came
> in contact with food on a HBP with Kapton tape, I wouldn't worry about it.

> What's actually in the ABS is probably more worth considering…

Yes, ABS additives are more concerning. This old Thinginverse blog
posting tried to talk in general terms about the food safety issue
with 3D printing,

http://blog.thingiverse.com/2009/09/13/for-foodies-out-there/

And it does mention there not being a lot of additives to ABS. While
that may be true for the ABS filament we use, it's not true in general
for ABS. (And I'm somewhat skeptical about it even as regards the
specific case of the ABS filament we use.)


Dan

[Doogiekr]

All good points... my main concern was the original posters question...

"Just a quick question, anyone knows? (for example to fix something
that needs to contain some hot food) "

I was kinda worried that he might be using it to line the inside of a coffee cup for repair or something, and maybe sticking it in a microwave or cooking with it. I was not worried about it in the sense that we use it, as a platform for printing on.

[makerman]

ABS not food save, but I'm wondering why Lego is made from abs. Small children will chew on it.

[RocketSled]

On Saturday, December 15, 2012 5:02:19 PM UTC-5, makerman wrote:

ABS not food save, but I'm wondering why Lego is made from abs. Small children will chew on it. 

 

I'm going to have to disagree on this one, too.  There are most-definitely food-safe ABS plastics. There are, after all, food-safe ABS bottles and containers. Lego is made of ABS as you point out, and it is most definitely non-toxic.  Lego says so.  And while I agree you can't necessarily trust a manufacturer to "bare all", with its long-lasting and overwhelming popularity, if Lego was toxic someone would have long since raised a hue and cry.  

The problem is, you can't really know if your particular ABS is food safe.  Odds are it is, but you probably can't be sure unless you're buying direct from a more-reputable global manufacturer...

I agree with the posts above, you're more likely to get sick from bacterial infestation than from anything leaching out of the ABS *or* the Kapton!