2025 Volume 26 Issue 2 Pages 51-71
In recent years, 3D food printing has garnered significant attention in the field of food engineering. A major challenge in advancing this field is the accessibility of functional printing devices, which are essential for conducting experiments and exploring novel applications. While commercial printers or those based on the RepRap project are widely used, this study explores an alternative approach by utilizing factory automation (FA) components to assemble a 3D food printer. The printer features a syringe-based extrusion system capable of handling various food paste materials. A belt-driven system controls the horizontal movement of the printing head, while a lead screw mechanism enables precise vertical positioning of the printing stage. Performance tests demonstrated that high-viscosity and highly compressible food paste materials could be accurately extruded by incorporating nozzle purging and retraction into the extrusion system. Printing tests using rice flour paste, cream cheese, and potato starch gel confirmed that the printer achieved sufficient precision for research purposes. The total cost of the mechanical and electrical components was approximately 390,000 JPY, with design and assembly times of 80 and 40 hours, respectively. This open-source 3D food printer provides researchers with a practical alternative for exploring new applications in 3D food printing technology.
