Sanitary stainless. FDA compliant. 3-A Standards.

3-A Sanitary Standards: American standards for sanitary design of dairy and food processing equipment. Requirements: (1) No crevices or dead spaces where bacteria could grow, (2) Smooth surface finish (typically Ra 0.8 µm or better), (3) Drainable — no horizontal surfaces retaining cleaning fluid, (4) Accessible for cleaning and inspection, (5) Corrosion-resistant materials. Our 3-A compliant work follows these design principles.

Food-contact surfaces typically: Ra 0.8 µm or better for general food contact, Ra 0.4 µm for difficult-to-clean geometry, Ra 0.2 µm or better (electropolished) for sanitary applications. Our manufacturing: CNC to Ra 1.6 µm, bead blast + manual polishing to Ra 0.4-0.8 µm, electropolishing for Ra 0.2 µm and below. Documented surface finish verification on food-contact orders.

316L preferred for: acidic foods (juices, dairy), salt-containing foods (cheese, processed foods), pharmaceutical-related food processing, long-service equipment in severe sanitation environments (daily chemical cleaning). 304 acceptable for: general food equipment, non-acidic applications, lower-cost applications. Many customers specify 316L universally for food contact simplicity. For sanitary food processing, 316L is standard.

Electropolishing for food contact surfaces: removes surface iron contamination, produces smooth surface reducing biofilm adhesion, enhances corrosion resistance. For pharmaceutical-grade food processing (beverage, pharmaceutical adjacent): electropolishing is standard. For general food processing, mechanical polishing + passivation often adequate at lower cost. We can do either based on specification.

FDA-compliant materials: 316L stainless (FDA 21 CFR 177), PTFE (177.1550), silicone (177.2600), HDPE (177.1520). Material certificates document compliance. For specific food-contact equipment, customer manages FDA compliance of complete machine; we provide compliant components with traceability. For complete FDA-approved food processing equipment, customer holds FDA registration; we provide Tier-2 components.

Commercial food equipment: 4-8 weeks typical. Dairy and pharmaceutical food processing: 8-12 weeks with full documentation. Craft beverage equipment: 6-10 weeks. Food industry programs typically have longer lead times than consumer CNC due to sanitary design and documentation requirements. Plan 4-6 months ahead for complex food equipment programs.