I created a simple spoon/utensil holder to use while cooking. It’s a very simple model that is printed with PLA.
I decided that washing it by hand was a bit tedious so I placed it in the dishwasher. I knew that it might distort because it was printed with PLA material, which is known to be quite fragile to high temperature treatment.
Well, it did what I expected: it distorted quite badly!
PLA has a “glass transition point” of 60 °C, which means that it will start to become more flexible at that temperature. It won’t melt until the temperature reaches about 180 °C, but it will definitely become softer.
Residential hot water temperature setting temperature recommandation is 60C, depending where you live. So this is hot enough to start deforming an object made of PLA, especially if it’s long and flat! Our dishwasher also uses more heat, in the form of hot air, to dry the dishes. As you. can see, the ustensiles holder didn’t fare well!
I decided to re-print with ABS plastic. The softening point of this particular brand is 87 °C. So the dishwasher treatment is safe for ABS. The problem with this plastic is that it is more difficult to print because it is prone to distortion caused by temperature differentials while processing. So you don’t even have to wash it to distort it!
I also tried PETG plastic. It is easier to print and has a decent softening point of 72 ºC. It did distort a little bit, but might overall be a winner because it is nearly as easy to print as PLA.
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