3D printing can be used to produce food safe products.
The most prominent certification in the food industry is FDA approval (FDA CFR 21), but the EU also has guidelines e.g. for plastics in 10/2011. A certification as food safe means that a product that has direct or indirect contact with food, may be used for sale. Also are there often additional specific conditions for using these products.
A food safe product has to
- be free of toxic contaminants originating from the manufacturing process
- be made from a material that shows a limited transfer of toxic contaminants deriving from degeneration of the material itself throughout its’ usage (this process is called migration)
Materialise has several materials with food safe properties but we do not have a food safe offering in place at this moment in time.
Please note that food safety and biocompatibility are not equivalent. Materialise can offer biocompatible, USP Class VI certified materials for use e.g. in medical devices. For further information please see the article: Does i.materialise offer biocompatible materials?