Food-safe 3D printing with filament

Components that come into contact with food must not release any harmful substances, must be hygienically flawless and at the same time withstand mechanical loads. 3D printing with food-safe filaments from igus makes it possible to manufacture such components economically and quickly, from simple bearings to complex grippers or guide elements in packaging machines.
Food-compliant materials such as the iglidur filaments i150, i151 and A350 fulfil the requirements of the FDA and/or EU Regulation 10/2011. They are not only approved for direct food contact, but are also particularly temperature-resistant and many times more wear-resistant than PLA or ABS. The characteristic blue colouring makes any abrasion or even broken pieces immediately visible and detectable - an important safety aspect in production. This page provides an overview of important industry standards such as HACCP and EHEDG, shows typical areas of application and gives advice on material selection and processing.

Vegan bowl with tofu, sweet potato, dragon fruit, cucumber, chickpeas, and sprouts.

When is a filament food-safe?

The term "food-safe" means that a material can be used safely with food without releasing harmful substances or jeopardising its purity. This is particularly important in the food and packaging industry, where hygiene plays a central role.

For a filament to be considered food-safe, it must fulfil strict requirements such as EU Regulation 10/2011 and FDA standards.

Food-safe certificates prove that materials are suitable for direct food contact and hygienically sensitive production processes.

What you will find on this page:

Food-safe 3D printing: Advantages and significance for the industry

iglidur i6-BLUE SLS material as blue powder with berries and a leaf, suitable for food contact.

Safe food contact: The certified materials from igus (e.g. according to EU 10/2011 or FDA) prevent the migration of harmful substances and guarantee product safety.

Hygienic processing: The FDM process creates smooth, sealable surfaces that prevent bacterial growth.

Customised machine components and tools: 3D printing with food-safe filaments delivers customised components with complex geometries for machines and applications.

Cost-effectiveness & fast prototypes: Prototypes, spare parts or special components are created quickly and cost-effectively using 3D printing - without long delivery times or expensive tools.

Sustainability & material efficiency: Components are only printed when they are actually needed. This saves material, reduces waste and makes warehousing superfluous.

Where are food-safe filaments used?

Components made from food-safe filaments are used in the food processing industry, in packaging technology and in bottling plants, among others. Food-safe components from 3D printing can also play a decisive role in the following areas of application:

Packaging machines

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Transport and conveyor systems

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Production components

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Applications in the food and packaging industry

Thanks to the freedom of geometry in additive manufacturing, there are no limits to a part's type. We print plain bearings, toothed belt discs, gears, worm wheels and grippers, among other things. 3D-printed components also offer key advantages over conventional CNC-milled solutions: they significantly reduce weight, lower your component costs and drastically shorten delivery times.

3D-printed timing screw on a beverage conveyor beside bottles.

Timing screw for conveyor systems

With single-piece screws made from iglidur i150 or iglidur i190, you don't just save time and money. Thanks to an 80 per cent reduction in weight compared with CNC-machined components, installation in your conveyor system is also effortless.

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3D-printed Can Twister for packaging and food with cans, product twister.

Customisable product turner for all container shapes

With product turners made from wear-resistant iglidur tribofilament, our customers save over 70 per cent in production costs and over 90 per cent in material compared with the milled version.

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Wear-resistant, food-safe filaments from igus

The igus range offers suitable solutions for different applications in practice. Food-safe filaments from igus are certified in accordance with the requirements of the FDA and/or EU Regulation 10/2011. Discover which filament suits your application.

iglidur i150 tribofilament:

wear-resistant all-rounder

iglidur i150 is ideal when an easy-to-process, wear-resistant material is required. The bestseller for many standard applications.

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Three iglidur i151 filament spools in black, white and blue for 3D printing.

iglidur i151 tribofilament:

visually detectable

iglidur i151 is suitable if, in addition to the good mechanical specifications, optical detectability by blue colour is required.

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iglidur A350 tribofilament:

fire-retardant & high temperature resistance

iglidur A350 is used when a temperature-resistant, fire-retardant material is required in addition to optical detectability.

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3D printing service with food-safe filaments

You need a food-safe component for your application, but don't have a 3D printer available? Our 3D printing service provides you with components made from our in-house, wear-resistant iglidur plastics. Our specially developed materials are ideal for applications in direct or indirect food contact and offer up to 50 times greater wear resistance than regular 3D printing plastics.

Simply upload the CAD model of your component online and let us manufacture it in the desired quantity. You can also use our Long Life Calculator to predict the expected service life of each individual component online.

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An igus iPad shows iglidur designer with a 3D printed gear and material selection for Motion on Demand.

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Requirements and standards for food-safe filaments

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Which certificates are available?

Safety in food production is regulated by strict legal requirements to ensure hygiene, quality and product safety. EU Regulation 10/2011 and FDA certification are particularly relevant for food-safe filaments. They set definitions and limits for safe use in direct contact with food. Specific hygiene guidelines, such as the HACCP concept (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points), and hygiene standards, such as those of the EHEDG (European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group), also play an important role. igus offers food-safe filaments specifically for these requirements.

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FDA-certified hygienic solution with a rinsed igus component.

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EU Regulation 10/2011

EU Regulation 10/2011 is the central European standard for regulating materials that come into contact with food. This food-safe certificate includes:

Migration limits: The regulation sets strict limits for the maximum number of substances that may migrate from a material into the food.
Material testing and documentation: Manufacturers must provide comprehensive documentation on the composition and safety of the materials.
Traceability: To ensure transparency throughout the supply chain, every stage of material processing must be fully documented.

Bottles on a conveyor belt in a packaging line.

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FDA certification

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) analyses the chemical specifications of materials with regard to specific food groups, such as fatty, alcoholic or highly acidic products.

In order to obtain authorisation, manufacturers must prove that no substances hazardous to health are transferred to the food. This is done through migration tests with various food groups. The aim is to guarantee product safety under realistic conditions and ensure compliance with strict limit values.

Fruit and vegetables in water with FDA label.

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Hygiene guidelines: HACCP and EHEDG

The HACCP concept is a legally regulated self-monitoring system for food companies that ensures food safety and protects consumers. It includes key components such as incoming goods inspection, temperature monitoring, cleaning and disinfection, pest control, traceability and staff training. The aim is to guide companies towards the systematic and hygienic handling of food.

Hygienic design according to EHEDG is an internationally recognised concept for the design of production facilities with food contact, which aims to prevent contamination through measures such as smooth surfaces, suitable materials and easy-to-clean geometries. It is based on EU regulations and EHEDG guidelines that regulate materials, surfaces and geometries so that systems are easy to clean and hygienically safe. The aim is to improve food safety while at the same time making cleaning processes more efficient.

Employees work in a cleanroom laboratory on a production line.

Tips for processing food-safe filaments

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 drying filament 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. Drying of the filament is easily possible in a standard household fan oven, but also in a drying air oven specially designed for this purpose.

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

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) must be selected in such a way that the surface of the object is as dense as possible. We recommend reducing the printing speed and adjusting the line width to the nozzle diameter. This allows unevenness in the component surface and gaps in the cover layers to be reduced. 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 either be food-grade or the same material should be used as the support material.

The information on this page provides tips on 3D printing food-grade plastic components; however, it does not replace the user’s need to understand the specific food safety requirements applicable to their particular application. Depending on the application and requirement, tests on the specific component may also be necessary. It is also recommended that the declaration of conformity is checked carefully with regard to the application, as there are major differences in the food sector with regard to authorised 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 into the slicing software and start printing.

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