Aluminum Can (#300) Clip-on Strainer

With the holidays coming up, almost two-thirds of American households will be using green-beans in their winter holiday celebrations (source: YouGov survey). Even more will use some form of canned vegetable (source: YouGov survey + logic). I've always had trouble straining the liquid out of these cans: either getting my hands dirty or partially cutting the lid and slowly pouring the liquid out…along with half the can.

But my holiday vegetable woes are no more!

This strainer fits snugly over the top of a standard #300 can, the most commonly used can for vegetables in the United States. The holes are designed to allow the liquid in the can to flow freely, but are small enough to stop even small corn kernels from passing through. There is a slight return lip that holds the strainer firmly on the can, therefore it does not slip off when the can is turned upside down and the weight of the vegetables rests on the strainer. I also tested and re-shaped the strainer with a variety of different brands of #300 can, each with uniquely styled lips, lids, and thicknesses.

I showed off this print to friends and family over this past Thanksgiving holiday, and even my grandparents were intrigued to see a practical application of 3D printing. A few friends were so interested they asked for a print that they could take home and use themselves! Taking only 54 minutes 31 seconds to print, I was not only able to give them one to take home, but also show them the entire printing process over the course of cooking the turkey.

Hopefully you find this to be a useful demo print that you can show off to your family and friends at the holidays as well.

I recommend using a food-safe material like Prusament PETG; I lowered the nozzle temperature on my pre-sliced file down to 225 C (except on the first layer) to reduce stringing between the drain holes. My pre-sliced file prints well without supports, and tolerance is built in for any slight bridge issues that may occur where the strainer rests on the can lip.

If you have any issues with fit, form, or function please leave a comment and I will make changes to accommodate you.