Dishwasher Safe Plastic

I'm preparing to produce a kitchen garlic tool which I've invented to be made mainly in molded plastic. My main concern is that the material needs to be dishwasher safe, reasonably durable and will not chip off (the chips will create a hazard if swallowed -- slow pulling apart through long term use is acceptable).

Since I know very little about plastics, I'd appreciate ay advice in this regard. Thank you.

Eric

 

[DaveVikingPE]

Well, let me tell you this: my significant other regularly breaks garlic presses that are made of plastic, so I bought her a metal one. That being said, check out the Society of Plastics Engineers' website,

http://www.4spe.org/

as they'll be able to tell you a lot about thermoplast vs. thermoset, etc. You can search their site for "dishwasher safe," for example, and get a lot of answers.

 

[insideman]

Polycarbonate such as Lexan comes to mind. This is readily moldable, has good temperature properties and is tougher than GI steak!

Need help in detail design or finding the right moldmaker or molder? Contact me at
insideman@worldnet.att.net

 

[plasticsguru]

You want to stick with a crystaline resin such as a reinforced polypropylene. Polycarbonate ie Lexan is the wrong approach for the following reasons.

Dosent have the steam resistance, chemical resistance, or heat resistance for dishwater use.