Introducing Nylon White FS: Expanding 3D Printing for Food and Beverage Factory Floors

Nylon White FS is an unfilled, non-abrasive nylon that is certified by NSF to NSF/ANSI Standard 51, Food Equipment Materials and is compliant with FDA CFR Title 21. It is suitable for production tooling and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) applications on food and beverage factory floors where the use of a food-contact certified material is required or preferred.

To certify Nylon White FS, NSF performed a rigorous audit including material formulation, toxicology, and cleanliness review as well as a manufacturing facility audit. The requirements of NSF/ANSI Standard 51 are intended to ensure that materials do not adulterate food or make food equipment difficult to clean and sanitize.

While Nylon White FS, in filament form, is certified for food contact, there are additional considerations to account for when determining if printed parts are safe for use in food contact applications. For instance, it's important to ensure that part geometries do not trap food or fluids, have smooth and cleanable surfaces, are used within rated operating conditions, and are cleaned in a way that maintains food safety. These considerations are not exclusive to printed parts—they apply to any part that is in contact with food, regardless of the method used to manufacture it. In general, companies have their own validation processes to assess the food safety of a given part and they should adhere to their processes when assessing Nylon White FS parts.

To help address some of these considerations, we have developed a 3D Printing Guide for Food and Beverage Applications that contains guidelines and best practices.

The Zone Concept
For some companies, parts are classified as “food-contact” or “non-food-contact” where food-contact parts must be made from certified materials. Other companies classify parts by the “Zone Concept” where the Zones are defined as:

Zone 1 : Touching food
Zone 2 : Not directly touching food but in direct proximity to it
Zone 3 : Adjacent to Zone 2 and with some risk of cross contamination
Zone 4 : Areas remote from food processing that pose little risk of cross contamination

Parts to be used in Zones 1 and 2 are usually required to be made using food-contact certified materials while parts in Zones 3 and 4 generally do not incur significant industry specific challenges and these parts may not need to be made from food-contact certified materials.

In short, a food-contact certified material enables parts in Zones 1 and 2 to be considered for 3D printing.

Applications
Nylon White FS is ideal for production tools and replacement parts to support manufacturing operations in food and beverage plants. It is also well suited for machine builders who produce machinery for food and beverage clients.

It is a great fit for Zone 2 applications such as tooling and MRO for primary packaging, pre-processing, and processing steps. Example applications:

• Conveyor guides and pushers
• Chutes and funnels
• End-of-arm tooling
• Factory aids such as brackets, shrouds, and mounts.

Nylon White FS parts can be considered for Zone 1 applications where users adhere to their internal protocol and procedures to ensure printed parts meet their food safety requirements.

Markforged has been delivering significant value to food and beverage companies for years, but the true potential of additive manufacturing was previously untapped due to the absence of a food-contact certified material. With Nylon White FS, manufacturers can now explore a wider range of 3D printed applications in food processing and packaging facilities and increase the value of:

• Minimizing tooling and MRO part lead times and inventory costs
• Resolving line down situations as quickly as possible with minimal costs and labor
• Optimizing line changeovers

At launch, Nylon White FS will be compatible with FX10™ printers. To purchase a spool, contact your Markforged reseller or visit the Markforged webstore.

Resources:

• Nylon White FS datasheet
• NSF listing
• 3D Printing Guide for Food and Beverage Applications