Product Safety

Age guidance, materials and care for our 3D printed products.

Not suitable for children under 36 months. This is our default for everything we sell. A 3D printed piece is rigid plastic built up in layers, and it can break into small or sharp pieces — so unless a product page states a different age, treat it as unsuitable for under-3s. Individual products may carry further warnings, and some carry a higher age. Always check the product page.

Age guidance

Every product page shows who the item is suitable for, along with any specific warnings. We use these gradings:

0+ — suitable from birth
3+ — ages 3 and over
8+ — ages 8 and over
14+ — ages 14 and over
not-toy — not a toy

Age guidance is about safety, not ability. A piece graded 3+ is graded that way because of small parts or sharp points, not because a younger child could not enjoy it.

Where a product page shows no specific age, it is treated as 3+ with a breakage warning. We would rather show a cautious warning than none.

What our products are made of

Everything is 3D printed to order in the UK. Every product page lists the exact plastic, filament brand and colour used — including each one separately where a piece is printed in more than one material. Here is what those plastics are:

PLA

A plant-based plastic made from fermented corn or sugarcane starch, and the most widely used 3D printing material. It captures fine detail crisply, which is why we use it for detailed pieces.

Strength: Rigid and hard, but not tough. It can snap rather than bend if dropped or forced.
Heat: Begins to soften from around 60 °C — roughly the temperature of hot tap water.
Looking after it: Keep it away from radiators, hot water and parked cars in summer. If a piece does snap, stop using it: the broken edges can be sharp.

All of these are ordinary consumer plastics, not specialist or hazardous materials. If you need to know something specific about a particular piece — an allergy, or a use we haven’t thought of — just ask before ordering and we’ll tell you exactly what it uses.

Care that applies to everything

These apply to every piece we make, whatever it is printed in. There are no exceptions, including for the tougher and more heat-tolerant plastics above.

Not for food or drink. This is about how a piece is made, not what it is made of. 3D printing builds an object in fine layers, and the join lines between them trap moisture and bacteria in a way that cannot be cleaned out or sterilised. Some of these plastics are used industrially in food packaging — that does not make a printed piece food safe. Decorative containers are for display and dry non-food items.
Not for the mouth. None of our pieces are teething toys, bath toys, or intended to be chewed.
Not dishwasher safe. Dishwashers combine heat and detergent, which can warp or dull any of these plastics. Wipe with a damp cloth, or hand wash in cool water where a piece genuinely needs it.
Keep away from flame and direct heat. Every plastic we use has a softening point, and it is listed above for each one — check the material named on the product page for the piece you have.
Stop using anything that breaks. A broken edge can be sharp, and a snapped-off piece can become a choking hazard. Keep fragments away from young children and pets.

Who makes these

SixthLayer is the manufacturer of everything sold here. We print and hand-finish every piece ourselves in the UK, and we choose the materials it is made from.

Not every design is our own — some are licensed from independent designers whose work we print under a commercial licence. That does not change who is responsible for the finished item: the piece you receive was made by us, and any question about its safety, quality or condition comes to us.

SixthLayer
64 Glebe Road, Annahilt, BT26 6NG
info@sixthlayer.co.uk

Reporting a safety concern

If a product breaks in a way that worries you, or you think an item is unsafe, please tell us at info@sixthlayer.co.uk. Tell us what you bought and when, and send a photo if you can. We take this seriously and will always respond.

You can also raise concerns with your local Trading Standards service via the Citizens Advice consumer helpline.

See also our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.