Scalability potential of a pneumatic extrusion-based 3D printing system for food products

Traditional food 3D printing equipment faces challenges such as single printing ink, poor material compatibility, poor product diversity, and low production efficiency. In this study, the multi-food ink synchronous extrusion device and co-printing strategy based on pneumatic extrusion module were evaluated in detail. For the single food ink, row and ring 6-channel fixtures were designed (minimum load capacity per barrel: F = 508.26 N), and the production efficiency of printed products was significantly improved by 82.7 % by uniformly distributing extrusion pressure. For food inks with different viscosities, synchronous extrusion of three different viscosities of food inks was achieved by connecting a pressure regulator to a designed row fixture. Meanwhile, by coupling the reverse valve with the designed ring fixture, multi ink co-printing was achieved. There was no significant difference in texture between the products obtained by all printing strategies and those obtained by single extrusion printing. The above results make it possible to establish a printing platform for multi ink splicing printing, multi-layer composite printing, and color ink collaborative printing by coupling various pneumatic circuits. It also indicates that the above-mentioned printing equipment has good adaptability to food inks of different viscosities, can perform multiple printing modes, and has high scalability potential.