⚠️ Safety Instructions
- We are not medical practitioners, and this project does not offer medical advice. If you have any doubts or concerns, please consult a doctor or an appropriate support group.
- After a vaginoplasty, do not use a 3D-printed dilator during the first few months, due to the high risk of vaginal perforation.
- In the long term, avoid using materials that are too rigid (e.g. use TPU rather than PLA).
- Most 3D-printed objects are porous (with FDM printing techniques) – hence a breeding ground for bacteria that cannot be properly sterilised – or use materials (such as resin) toxic to mucous membranes: the use of a condom is mandatory for each and every dilating session (though we do not believe it is necessary to change condoms when switching between dilators during the same session). We’ll say it again, one more time: you must always use a condom on a printed dilator.
- Don’t be greedy and aim too big too fast: our 2 millimeters increments from one OD size to the next are meant to alleviate issues often associated with the size gaps from major brands (when nearing 30mm diameter and beyond), and seem to offer a decently smooth transition from size to size based on first-hand experience.
3D-Printing Instructions
In the medical field, dilators are made of flexible materials to mitigate risks. To achieve this, we recommend using a flexible resin or filament (such as TPU) and settings that provide sufficient flexibility (our current rule-of-thumb is a 5% gyroid infill, with 2 outer walls). Alternatively, it is always possible to produce a rigid dilator, provided extra care is taken not to cause injury during dilation.
The dilator ought to be as smooth as possible to limit the chances of any internal tearing, it mustn’t have rough spots or sharp edges. For FDM-printed dilators (particularly the rigid ones), we recommend using the lowest layer height available (despite the increased printing time). Finally, if possible and necessary, we recommend a final sanding step: don’t forget to wear an appropriate mask/respirator while sanding (to protect yourself from breathing microplastics), and to clean the dilator afterwards.
With these parameters in mind, beyond the acquisition cost of the 3D printer itself, the production cost circles around 1 to 2 eurodollars per dilator, roughly ten times less than the retail price of one silicone dilator.
Silicone Casting (Advanced Alternative)
Experienced users can also use our Open Dilators models to create molds and cast medical-grade silicone.
This method yields a much safer and better-fitting result, but requires more time, equipment, and skill. It is particularly relevant for larger-scale production (e.g. to make a dozen or more dilators of a given size), or for people who can borrow the necessary equipment.
The general procedure is to first 3D-print and sand a dilator and its corresponding outer shell (which can be found in the Autodesk Fusion 360 source file), then to cast silicone into the shell to make a mold, into which the actual silicone dilators will be molded afterwards. We redirect interested readers to the OnlyGoblins Wiki for further information on how to proceed.