--- title: "Vapor Smoothing for Food-Contact Parts | AMT PostPro" description: "Food-line grippers, extruders and filtration parts: sealed, cleanable vapor-smoothed 3D printed parts, with a published food-contact test and case studies." canonical: https://amtechnologies.com/industries/food-contact/ updated: 2026-10-09 type: application --- ![Food-contact robotic gripper and handle in metal-detectable nylon on a display tray](https://amtechnologies.com/img/industries/hero-food-d-640.webp) Applications · Food contact # Food-line parts that stay sealed and cleanable. Vapor smoothing seals the porous surface of 3D printed nylon, so parts on food lines are smoother and easier to keep clean.[1] Marel, Tetra Pak and FABULOUS use it on grippers, extruders and filtration parts. [Test your parts, free](https://amtechnologies.com/test-your-parts/) See the case studies Key applications ## Where food parts are vapor smoothed. - ### [Food-line grippers](https://amtechnologies.com/resources/case-studies/marel-salmon-side-gripper-sealed-and-sterilizable-surfaces-vapor-smoothing/) A salmon side gripper in metal-detectable nylon with smooth, joint-free contact areas.[1] - ### [Food extruders](https://amtechnologies.com/resources/case-studies/tetra-pak-processing-systems-works-with-production-equipment-for-the-food-industry-and-implemented-additive-manufacturing-as-a-key-ingredient/) Printed, vapor-smoothed parts in place of a welded stainless-steel ice cream extruder. - ### [Filtration parts](https://amtechnologies.com/resources/case-studies/fabulous-advancing-food-safety-with-filtration-solutions/) Detectable filtration parts for food and pharma lines, sealed by vapor smoothing.[2] - ### Food-contact testing DETECT PA11 parts finished with FA5802 (Pure), tested by an independent lab for food contact.[2] Food-contact testing ## Tested for food contact. AMT and FABULOUS tested vapor-smoothed DETECT PA11 for food contact. The result applies to that material finished with FA5802 (Pure). - Food contact Extractables well within regulatory limits under US FDA 21 CFR §177.1500[2] Independent lab test FABULOUS DETECT PA11 · FA5802 (Pure) This is a result for those parts, not a certification of Pure; validate your own material and application. [Read the food-contact test](https://amtechnologies.com/news/fabulous-and-amt-validate-3dprinted-food-contact-compliance/) Printers and materials ## The printers and materials behind these parts. ### Print processes [SLS](https://amtechnologies.com/learn/sls-vapor-smoothing/) and [MJF](https://amtechnologies.com/learn/mjf-vapor-smoothing/) FABULOUS parts are SLS. PostPro smooths parts from MJF, SLS, SAF, HSS and FDM[3,4]. ### Materials - [PA11 Polyamide 11](https://amtechnologies.com/materials/pa11/) - [PA12 Polyamide 12](https://amtechnologies.com/materials/pa12/) [Which system? Compare all four](https://amtechnologies.com/products/vapor-smoothing/) Case studies ## Two stories from food contact. Each case study is the customer’s published account: the summary here, the full story and the PDF one click away. 1. Case study 01 / 02 Gripper holding a salmon side ### [A gripper for salmon sides](https://amtechnologies.com/resources/case-studies/marel-salmon-side-gripper-sealed-and-sterilizable-surfaces-vapor-smoothing/) Marel and DTI printed a gripper in metal-detectable nylon with smooth, joint-free contact areas. Vapor smoothing reduces surface roughness and improves durability and impact resistance. - **Customer**: Marel, with the Danish Technological Institute - **Process**: Metal-detectable nylon → vapor smoothing - **Result**: Vapor smoothing process reduces surface roughness, improves durability, and enhances impact resistance. - **Published**: Jun 2024, published before October 2024[1] [Read the case study: A gripper for salmon sides](https://amtechnologies.com/resources/case-studies/marel-salmon-side-gripper-sealed-and-sterilizable-surfaces-vapor-smoothing/) [PDF: A gripper for salmon sides (opens in a new tab)](https://amtechnologies.com/resources/case-studies/marel-salmon-side-gripper-sealed-and-sterilizable-surfaces-vapor-smoothing/) 2. Case study 02 / 02 Blue detectable printed filter ### [Detectable filtration parts for food lines](https://amtechnologies.com/resources/case-studies/fabulous-advancing-food-safety-with-filtration-solutions/) Parts on food and pharma lines are made in blue detectable materials so fragments can be found. Printed parts start rough and unsealed; vapor smoothing reduces the roughness and seals the surface. - **Customer**: FABULOUS - **Process**: Blue detectable material → vapor smoothing - **Result**: Reduced surface roughness and a sealed surface, so printed parts can serve on food and pharma lines - **Published**: May 2024, published before October 2024 [Read the case study: Detectable filtration parts for food lines](https://amtechnologies.com/resources/case-studies/fabulous-advancing-food-safety-with-filtration-solutions/) [PDF: Detectable filtration parts for food lines (opens in a new tab)](https://amtechnologies.com/resources/case-studies/fabulous-advancing-food-safety-with-filtration-solutions/) [All three food case studies in the case-study library](https://amtechnologies.com/resources/case-studies/?industry=food) Food contact on video ## See it at work [Watch on YouTube:](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdtxBJFZ97E) ### _Food-Grade 3D Printing with DTI | Vapor Smoothing SLS Parts for Food-Contact Applications_ [Watch on YouTube (opens in a new tab)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdtxBJFZ97E) Next step ## See the price. Run the numbers. Hold the part. Starting prices are public and the cost-per-part math is yours to check, with no email needed for either. The free benchmark puts your own parts, vapor smoothed, in your hands. 1. 01 Quote ### Build your quote Pick a system and its options, and send AMT an itemized quotation request. Each system shows its starting price. [Build your quote](https://amtechnologies.com/quote/) 2. 02 ROI ### Calculate your ROI Compare your cost per part with manual finishing, using your own labor rate and volumes. Every assumption is editable. [Calculate ROI](https://amtechnologies.com/roi/) 3. 03 Benchmark ### Test your parts, free Ship us your parts with a prepaid label. We vapor smooth them and send them back with before-and-after photos and a benchmark report. [Test your parts, free](https://amtechnologies.com/test-your-parts/) No cost to evaluate · Parts returned · Typical turnaround 2–3 weeks[5] Prices: starting prices, excluding tax and shipping; everything else is priced in your quotation. [Not sure which system? Help me choose](https://amtechnologies.com/configurator/) Questions ## Questions, answered. ### Can vapor-smoothed 3D printed parts be used in contact with food? Food-contact compliance depends on the material, the process and the consumable together. Parts printed in FABULOUS DETECT PA11 and smoothed with Pure met the extractables limits of US FDA 21 CFR §177.1500 in an accredited independent lab: a result for those parts, not a certification. Validate your own material and application.[2] ### Which materials are used for food-processing parts? Published examples use metal-detectable nylon (Marel and Tetra Pak, with the Danish Technological Institute) and FABULOUS DETECT PA11 finished with Pure, which met the extractables limits of US FDA 21 CFR §177.1500 in an accredited independent lab: a result for those parts, not a certification.[1,2] ### Can I test my own parts before I buy? Yes. Send a few of your printed parts to AMT’s benchmarking program and they come back vapor smoothed: no cost to evaluate, parts returned, typical turnaround 2–3 weeks.[5] ## Sources 1. [Marel salmon side gripper: creating sealed and sterilizable surfaces with AMT PostPro vapor smoothing (case study)](https://amtechnologies.com/resources/case-studies/marel-salmon-side-gripper-sealed-and-sterilizable-surfaces-vapor-smoothing/) · AMT · Jun 5, 2024 2. [Fabulous and AMT validate food contact compliance for 3D-printed parts using DETECT PA11 and PostPro Pure](https://amtechnologies.com/news/fabulous-and-amt-validate-3dprinted-food-contact-compliance/) · AMT · Apr 7, 2026 3. [Vapor smoothing: SF and X-series family page and SFX, SF2X, SF50, SF100 product pages](https://amtechnologies.com/products/vapor-smoothing/) · AMT · read Oct 6, 2026 · also [AMT](https://amtechnologies.com/products/vapor-smoothing/postpro-sfx-desktop-vapor-smoothing-system/) · also [AMT](https://amtechnologies.com/products/vapor-smoothing/postpro-sf2x/) · also [AMT](https://amtechnologies.com/products/vapor-smoothing/postpro-sf50/) · also [AMT](https://amtechnologies.com/products/vapor-smoothing/postpro-sf100/) 4. [Vapor smoothing consumables: PostPro Pure (FA5802), FA326 and FA9202](https://amtechnologies.com/products/vapor-smoothing/consumables/) · AMT · read Oct 6, 2026 5. [PostPro benchmarking: send us your 3D printed parts](https://benchmarking.amtechnologies.com/) · AMT · read Oct 6, 2026