Chapter 5

Printability and Techniques

C. Anandharamakrishnan

C. Anandharamakrishnan

National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management - Thanjavur (an Institute of National Importance; formerly Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology - IIFPT), Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India

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Jeyan A. Moses

Jeyan A. Moses

National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management - Thanjavur (an Institute of National Importance; formerly Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology - IIFPT), Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India

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T. Anukiruthika

T. Anukiruthika

National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management - Thanjavur (an Institute of National Importance; formerly Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology - IIFPT), Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India

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First published: 25 March 2022

Summary

3D printing as a paradigm of industrial 4.0 allows to design and fabricate novel food textures with enhanced functional properties. From an industrial point of view, 3D printing is a versatile technology with greater degrees of freedom. Nevertheless, food printing is a complex process as it dealt with a multicomponent biological system with varied material behaviors. The success of printability relies on material composition, process conditions, and the usage of additives. Most of the reports available in the literature explain the printability of specific food materials. However, only a handful of studies discuss the assessment of printability. The present chapter is attempted in streamlining the methods and procedures that are available in the literature for the assessment and evaluation of printability of foods. Printability tests such as line tests, lattice tests, and cylinder tests; dimensional stability, and handling properties aids in the assessment of printability while shape resemblance, printing percentage, and dimensional deviation help in the evaluation of printability. Most of the studies claimed to follow certain procedures in determining printability. This void misleads the usage of analytical methods for the characterization of materials. Hence proper understanding of material behavior in response to printing process variables is quite essential in determining the suitable testing methods. A detailed discussion is provided on various characterization methods that are used in 3D printing studies for analyzing material response and behavior. Certainly, the present chapter provides valuable insights in establishing a testing standard for determining printability that would open a new dimensional array of testing protocols useful for future 3D printing studies.

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