Food safe 3D printing filament and SLS materials

The material is food-safe if it meets the requirements for food conformity according to the EU standard 10/2011 or the specifications of the FDA (U.S. Food & Drug Administration), it is confirmed by a declaration of conformity. The specifications for the use of the respective substance are noted there.

Some 3d printing plastic material is food safe when they meet the requirements for food conformity according to the EU standard 10/2011 or the specifications of the FDA (U.S. Food & Drug Administration).

igus® manufacture a variety of 3d print filaments and SLS materials that can be used in applications with food contact. They also manufacture, compliant energy chains, bearings, guide rollers and more.

It means that the material coming into contact with food has been tested for a possible transfer of particles of the plastic to the food, whereby a defined limit value has not been exceeded. On the European market, the requirements for plastics to achieve food conformity are regulated by EU Regulation 10/2011, in the U.S. by the FDA (U.S. Food & Drug Administration).

igus® manufacture filaments that meet the requirements for food conformity according to the EU standard 10/2011 or the specifications of the FDA (U.S. Food & Drug Administration). The filament can be purchased direct from igus, or can be selected in the 3d printing service to configure and buy your custom parts.

Before and during printing, the food-grade material must be protected from dust. We therefore recommend an enclosed installation space.

The material should be stored in a dry place and protected from environmental influences. It should also be removed from the packaging in a dust-free environment and dried before printing. Drying prevents the moisture contained in the filament from degrading the material when it melts in the nozzle and prevents air pockets from forming. This ensures that the surface finish and quality remain the same. Tips on filament drying can be found in the processing instructions on the individual product pages in the igus filament shop. A good rule of thumb is a drying temperature that does not exceed the maximum application temperature of the plastic, but also does not damage the plastic spool. It is easy to dry the filament in a standard household convection oven, and also in a specially designed dry air oven.

Regular maintenance and cleaning of the printer is essential to ensure that the 3D printing filament can be processed without any problems. All parts that come into contact with the filament should be free of residue. This is particularly important for the extruder pinion and the print nozzle. The manufacturer of desktop 3D printers Ultimaker provides some cleaning routines for its devices that can also be used on other devices. In addition to the pinion and nozzle, a clean print bed is also essential; we recommend a clean glass plate. Adhesives should not be used unless a food-safe adhesive is available.

• To the cleaning routine for filament printers in general
• To the cleaning routine for the Ultimaker 3

To achieve optimum results when 3D printing food-safe components, the print settings in the slicing software (e.g. Bambu Studio, Orca Slicer or Ultimaker Cura) should be selected in such a way that the surface of the object is as dense as possible. To achieve this, we recommend reducing the printing speed and adjusting the line width to the nozzle diameter. This can reduce unevenness in the component surface and gaps in the cover layers. The material must also be protected from dust before and during printing, which is why a printer with a closed build chamber is advisable.

We recommend that food-compliant components are not produced in multi-material printing together with other, non-food-compliant materials, as mixing of the materials cannot be completely ruled out. Accordingly, the support material should also either be food-compliant or the same material should be used as the support material.

The information on this page contains tips on 3D printing of food-safe plastic components, but does not replace the necessary knowledge on the part of the user as to which food conformity requirements exist in the specific application. Depending on the application and requirements, tests on the specific component may also be necessary. It is also recommended that the declaration of conformity is checked carefully for the application, as there are major differences in the food sector with regard to permitted temperatures and the permitted contact duration.

To optimise the processing of igus filaments, we provide our customers with preset configurations in the form of free print profiles for download, which are specially adapted to common 3D printers such as Bambu Lab, Prusa and Ultimaker. Simply import them into the slicing software and start printing.