Food safe 3D printing applications

Human health and safety are at the top of the list when it comes to applications that come into contact with food, whether it's a normal water bottle, morning coffee cup or dinner plate. So when producing applications that are intended for direct or indirect food contact, it must be ensured that they are not toxic or could potentially harm humans in the short or long term. This is of course true for traditional manufacturing as well as additive manufacturing. In this post we will focus on Additive Manufacturing (3D printing) and talk about why food safe materials are so important, what different regulations exist and how a great collaboration led to the first full 3D printing process of food safe parts.

Food safe 3D printing from the materials to the manufacturing process – what is important?  

The EU and FDA in the US have strict regulations to ensure that a material is safe for food. But what exactly does that mean? A product is food safe when the food grade material used meets all specified requirements, depending on the intended use, and does not pose a food safety hazard. When a material can come into contact with food or is safe for human consumption, it is called food grade.

When looking for food-safe 3D printing materials, there are quite a few that can be used, such as Polylactic Acid (PLA) or Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). PLA is often used to produce packaging and objects such as cake tins, while PET convinces with its recyclability – both materials offer great design freedom. PLA and PET come in a wide range of colors and although there are masterbatches that are suitable for food-safe 3D printing, they still need to be handled carefully to ensure they are safe to use.

Ultrafuse® PLA , Ultrafuse® PET , Ultrafuse® rPET and Ultrafuse® TPU 64D are based on food-safe raw materials (granules) that are suitable for food contact applications according to the European Plastics Regulation.

However, to create food-safe 3D printing applications, not only the material must be safe, but also the entire manufacturing process, from the material to the printing process to the packaging. Although food-safe 3D printing applications are still relatively new, there are possibilities and advantages such as a joint project with German manufacturer Miele.

Miele leads the way - A use case example

Together with Miele, the German premium home appliance manufacturer, Replique (a digital inventory platform), and printer manufacturer BCN3D, Forward AM launched 3D printed food-safe parts as part of the "3D4U" campaign. Forward AM experts have developed a printing process that is performed in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). These parts are made from Forwards AM's Ultrafuse® PET Black, tested and compliant with the LFGB and Regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004.

For Miele, 3D printing was the optimal solution for their production of new accessories, as it is possible without large scale-up costs. 3D printing offers Miele the advantage of being tool-free and enables rapid time-to-market. Additive manufacturing also allows the option to run small batch productions at a low cost compared to other technologies and with the use of Replique's digital inventory, there is no need to keep parts in stock. The necessary parts can simply be printed on demand.

Along with other creations, the coffee clip was designed to close an open bag of coffee beans and keep them fresh. However, this design has a hole included so you can remove the nipples without removing the clamp. After that, the opening itself is simply closed with a cap. During the production process, high safety requirements were met, thus creating a safe facility.