What to Know About 3D-Printed Sex Toys

June 27, 2021

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They’re more dangerous than you might think.

Image of a man working on laptop and 3D printer

Let’s look at today’s take on combining 3D printing with sex, and its potential to one day turn your wildest erotic fantasies into practical sex tech reality.

Making things has never been easier

Screenshot of man printing models using 3D printing technology printers

Like drones, virtual reality, and home automation, 3D printers have become commercially available in the blink of an eye.

And now people are using it to create a universe of things the technology’s inventors probably never dreamed of.

Including, of course, sexual things. Websites like Cults3D and Makerlove have entire sections dedicated to user-made sex tech designs that can be downloaded and printed.

The danger of 3D-printed sex toys

It’s important to note, however, that 3D-printed sexual objects aren’t safe to use (yet).

At the moment, there are two ways to 3D print something.

The first uses light to selectively solidify liquid resin. The second uses plastic to build up an object slowly.

Pockets of air are inevitable in 3D-printed objects, because they are built in layers. This creates a breeding ground for bacteria, and the nature of the plastic means that 3D printed sex toys can never be cleaned properly.

How to use 3D printing to make safe sex toys

It is possible to make safe sex toys with a 3D printer, but the process requires an extensive workshop and high-quality silicone.

Rather than 3D print toys directly, some folks use the technology to make a mold. The maker can then pour silicone into the mold to make safe playthings.

For those with the resources, this technique provides a way to create completely customizable toys. But the process remains out of reach for most consumers, and isn’t cost effective.

A promising future

These safety concerns and budgetary restrictions mean that 3D printing sexy toys remains out of reach for most folks.

This won’t always be the case. Companies like New York Toy Collective have already been putting 3D printing to use for years, and the trend is sure to grow.

Image sources: its-izzy, Kyle Pearce, fdecomite

M. Christian

M.Christian (they/them) loves nothing better than exploring the intersections of sex and technology—and speculating on the future of both. A highly regarded erotica writer they have six novels,12 collections, 100+ short stories, and 25 anthologies as an editor to their name. Their non-fiction regularly appears in many sites, but they're most proud of being a regular contributor to Future of Sex.

Of their erotic fiction, Tristan Taormino said that “M.Christian is a literary stylist of the highest caliber: smart, funny, frightening, sexy—there's nothing [they] can't write about… and brilliantly.”

Reflecting their unique ability to sympathetically and convincingly write for a range of genders and sexual orientations, their stories have appeared in multiple editions of Best American Erotica, Best Gay Erotica, Best Lesbian Erotica, The Mammoth Books of Erotica, and others. Their collection of gay erotic fiction, Dirty Words, was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award.

While a majority of their stories have been collected into books like Dirty Words, their fondness for combining sex and science fiction is clearly evident in collections that include Rude Mechanicals, Technorotica, Better Than The Real Thing, Skin Effect Effect, Bachelor Machine, and Hard Drive: The Best Sci-Fi Erotica of M.Christian.

As a novelist, M.Christian’s versatility is on full display with Running Dry, The Very Bloody Marys, Brushes, Painted Doll; and the somewhat controversial queer BDSM/horror/thrillers Finger's Breadth, and Me2.

M.Christian has worked on the industry’s production side as an Associate Publisher for Renaissance E Books and as a Publisher for Digital Parchment Services. The latter dedicated to celebrating the works of science-fiction legends such as William Rotsler, Jerome Bixby, Jody Scott, Arthur Byron Cover, Ernest Hogan, and James Van Hise.

Covering topics like BDSM safety, sexual education, senior sexuality concerns, queer and gender issues, plus reviewing a variety of sex tech products, M.Christian’s non-fiction has appeared on sites like Kinkly, Tickle.Life, Sexpert, Queer Majority, Sex for Every Body, and—of course—their ongoing work for Future of Sex.

If there’s anything M.Christian enjoys more than writing, it’s teaching. A featured presenter, sometimes with their friend Ralph Greco Jr, at national sex and BDSM events, they have lectured on kink play (with an emphasis on safety), polyamory, boosting sexual creativity, and erotica writing--for beginners or those wanting to go pro.

M.Christian is a cohost on two popular sex-education podcasts: Love’s Outer Limits with Dr. Amy Marsh and Licking Non-Vanilla with Ralph Greco, Jr.