Looking for food grade plastic for making stencils

[Jdsantos]

Does anyone know suppliers of food grade plastic sheets suitable for making cake stencils with? I have struggled to find food grade plastic thin enough (190microns, or .19mm). I'm unsure what the material is called which is maybe another reason I'm not getting anywhere. I've contacted suppliers but their products are too thick for what I need.

If anyone has any info that might help in my search- be it the particular kind of plastic I need, a supplier or anything, I would really appreciate it.

 

[Deleted member 226268]

The material you need is High Density Polyethylene ( HDPE) P300
A common food grade plastic.

The thinnest common stock sheet thickness is usually 1mm.

Finding a supplier to supply you with small orders of the thickness you requested will be difficult,
this will come under the heading of Polyethylene film.
(Clingfilm) in supermarkets.

You could buy thick film 250 micron clear bags and cut them to size, but there will be a minimum order quantity of thousands.

For example ... http://www.hadopolythene.co.uk/products.htm#sheeting


The thickness you ask for will be extremely difficult to work with, too floppy and difficult to cut.

Try a 1mm sheet first, easy to cut with Stanley knife, laser cut, etc.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HDPE-Shee...ene-mm-/401002482629?var=&hash=item9c1ece8147

The sheet can be formed to a curved shape to fit around your cakes with a hot air gun, at just a slightly higher
temperature than boiling water, retain the shape when cooled, and will hold itself into place.

.

 

[terry54661]

Couldn't you use 3mm acrylic for this?

 

[Deleted member 226268]

Acrylic is not a food grade material.

 

[Jdsantos]

Hi Dave. Thanks for the reply. There are die cutters available to purchase that are able to cut 190micron sheets of plastic. They hold their shape quite well and you can cut quite small design detail onto the plastic. I went to a supplier and took various thicknesses of plastic with me and they demonstrated how the machine could cut 190 and 250 micron thick plastic. I tested the cut sheets onto a cake dummy and they work quite well. The only thing is they cut mylar (the only plastic I could find for cutting stencils with), which is not food grade. The supplier did say to steer clear of any high density material.

I have seen a cake stencil shop online and they say their material is food grade plastic (not mylar) and that the plastic they use is 190micron thick.

I don't actually need to make the sheets form a curve to fit around the cakes, they just need to be flexible enough to be held against the side of a round cake while royal icing is applied onto the stencil.

I know the right material in the thickness I want is out there, unless that website claiming to have found food grade 190micron plastic is telling fibs . They even say the plastic is sourced in the UK.

 

[Jdsantos]

Just in case anyone is scratching their heads, about what cake stencilling is about, there are videos on youtube, just type in cake stencil . I'd post a link but I'm a newbie and I'm not allowed yet!

 

[Deleted member 226268]

I have seen a cake stencil shop online and they say their material is food grade plastic (not mylar) and that the plastic they use is 190micron thick.

The sheet does not ..NEED.. to be exactly 190 microns thick
Can be thicker.

Buy one of their stencils and measure it.

You could buy some plastic food containers and cut the flat panels to the size you need.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Plastic-C...id=100005&rk=2&rkt=6&mehot=pp&sd=110949399816

Or for thinner sheet of about 60 microns,
purchase a few poly-bags to try out ...

Not listed as food grade, but perfectly sterile
as it comes out of the extruder.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pink-Mail...id=100005&rk=4&rkt=6&mehot=pp&sd=301778150617

But don't use recycled plastic bags.

.

 

[Jdsantos]

The sheet does not ..NEED.. to be exactly 190 microns thick
Can be thicker. Yes I agree. I can go up to 250microns thick. The reason for the specified thickness is the lifespan of the machine I would like to purchase to make these stencils with. 190micron plastic will allow a stencil to be cut once, whereas thicker plastic means each one has to have two 'passes' with the blade. So the less I cut, the longer the lifetime of the machine, the more use I get out of it.

Buy one of their stencils and measure it. Why? They've already said their stencils are 190microns thick. Also I'm not sure I can actually measure something less than 1mm with any accuracy.

You could buy some plastic food containers and cut the flat panels to the size you need. The machine I am buying cannot cut plastic food containers. These are way too thick to be used as stencils.

Or for thinner sheet of about 60 microns,
purchase a few poly-bags to try out ...

Not listed as food grade, but perfectly sterile
as it comes out of the extruder.

I cannot use plastic bags like these. The stencils need to be thicker to hold their shape.

But don't use recycled plastic bags. I don't plan to!

Please don't get me wrong, I do appreciate the help and recommendations, however all I asked for is if people here knew of a supplier that might/does supply the kind of plastic in the thickness that I need.

Like I said before, it is out there- there are companies that create cake stencils galore. They use thin food grade plastic. It's just a matter of finding the supplier.
.








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[Brennerz]

what machine are you looking to use? I have some experience with 'hobby' type machines, die cutters, cutting machines, laser cutting machines.

If I have understood right, the stencil is used to decorate the cake? I can understand that the stencil material might have to be of food grade. But if you really think about it, the machine you are likely to purchase, won't be of food grade, is likely to carry lots of dust, potentially grease etc - surely your stencil will pick this up as you place it onto the cake?

As an example, the majority of hobby cutting machines, come with a sticky sheet which you place your material on - this might contaminate the stencil? Perhaps the material you need should have a backing film which you peel just before placing on the cake?

In short, I guess what I'm suggesting, perhaps its not worth the risk.... does the stencil really have to be 'food grade'? considering the tools used aren't likely to be fit for food development.

 

[Jdsantos]

what machine are you looking to use? I have some experience with 'hobby' type machines, die cutters, cutting machines, laser cutting machines.

If I have understood right, the stencil is used to decorate the cake? I can understand that the stencil material might have to be of food grade. But if you really think about it, the machine you are likely to purchase, won't be of food grade, is likely to carry lots of dust, potentially grease etc - surely your stencil will pick this up as you place it onto the cake?

As an example, the majority of hobby cutting machines, come with a sticky sheet which you place your material on - this might contaminate the stencil? Perhaps the material you need should have a backing film which you peel just before placing on the cake?

In short, I guess what I'm suggesting, perhaps its not worth the risk.... does the stencil really have to be 'food grade'? considering the tools used aren't likely to be fit for food development.

I'm looking to buy a more advanced die cutter. As long as I sterilise the blade and the mat (these are the only parts of the machine that will touch the stencil), I'm ok. I'd need to cover it when not in use and sterilise before each use. The stencils will be touching the cake, so ideally I would still like to use food grade plastics.

 

[14Steve14]

The only thing I can think of is a product called mylar which as you probably know is a material used for stencils, but whether it is food safe is another thing. Some sites say it is, and others dont seem to really know.

 

[Brennerz]

When you say you would sterilise the mat..... how do you expect the mat to remain sticky to hold the material? You might get away with it if the material is also going under the rollers on the machine.

anyway, would something like this be useful? http://www.craftworldonline.co.uk/c...-14263-p.asp?gclid=CNGC4-SU9tECFcMp0wodY_EOBQ

I'm sure that is the kind of stuff they use for cake collars, 100 microns.

What is the machine you are looking to use? I would definitely get them to test the material before you buy a machine. 100 microns is hardly anything, most craft cutting machines will do that, but will of course wear the blade down quicker than paper/card would.

Personally I don't think you are looking for a die cutting machine - as you will need to get your own dies made? You would be better of with an plotter/cutting machine which reads / cuts from your design on the PC.

 

[Vardan 89]

What is the quantity you need in Kilograms or square meter?

 

[Jdsantos]

Hi all, sorry for the late reply. I have been spending a few weeks writing to suppliers. I found one that sells food safe plastic 190-250microns thick, although their minimum order is 200meters.

What is the quantity you need in Kilograms or square meter?

I don't have a requirement at the moment, but was hoping to purchase around 10 meters each time.

 

[Jdsantos]

what machine are you looking to use? I have some experience with 'hobby' type machines, die cutters, cutting machines, laser cutting machines.

If I have understood right, the stencil is used to decorate the cake? I can understand that the stencil material might have to be of food grade. But if you really think about it, the machine you are likely to purchase, won't be of food grade, is likely to carry lots of dust, potentially grease etc - surely your stencil will pick this up as you place it onto the cake?

As an example, the majority of hobby cutting machines, come with a sticky sheet which you place your material on - this might contaminate the stencil? Perhaps the material you need should have a backing film which you peel just before placing on the cake?

In short, I guess what I'm suggesting, perhaps its not worth the risk.... does the stencil really have to be 'food grade'? considering the tools used aren't likely to be fit for food development.

Hi Brennerz, I was wondering generally how much laser cutters cost? If there is a wide variety, what would a small model cost?

 

[14Steve14]

I have been looking into laser cutters and prices vary wildly. Cheap cutters on eBay cost a few hundred pounds, but you get what you pay for. Then prices start going up, and keep going up. It really depends on what you want to do. Cutting thin film will not require a lot of power but will take a lot of time and the tubes dont last for ever, so look at replacement costs. You may also want filtration equipment and all the other bits and pieces to get rid of the fumes.

A quick google search will find lots of sites, but you will have to contact most of them to get prices.

 

[Jdsantos]

I have been looking into laser cutters and prices vary wildly. Cheap cutters on eBay cost a few hundred pounds, but you get what you pay for. Then prices start going up, and keep going up. It really depends on what you want to do. Cutting thin film will not require a lot of power but will take a lot of time and the tubes dont last for ever, so look at replacement costs. You may also want filtration equipment and all the other bits and pieces to get rid of the fumes.

A quick google search will find lots of sites, but you will have to contact most of them to get prices.

Looking to use it for cutting stencils. Thanks for the info!