3D Printing Approaches

Abstract

Despite 3D food printing being a nascent emerging technology in the food industry, it has a greater potential in fulfilling commercial and consumer needs. 3D printing has been forecasted to be revolutionizing the technology of the future. Various well-known 3D printing technologies are material extrusion, powder bed fusion, binder jetting, material jetting, vat polymerization, sheet lamination, and direct energy deposition. In context with food, not all the printing technologies are suitable for the printing process as food is a complex perishable commodity that often undergoes desired amount of pre- as well as postprocessing operations. Hence, this chapter envisages the major considerations of the food-printing process, material properties, and selectivity of materials that are suitable for specific food 3D printing technologies. Extrusion technology, selective sintering, inkjet printing, binder jetting, and bioprinting are the common 3D printing technologies used for the food-printing process that are distinct based on the mechanism of binding of printed layers. Understanding food printing technology is very crucial in terms of technical and design aspects for delivering 3D-printed food with enhanced levels of customization. Hence, the present chapter provides valuable insights into the working principles, binding mechanism, and system components of 3D food printing technologies. Certainly, this chapter helps in better understanding of food-printing process in upbringing the technology of 3D food printing to the next level. In addition, the future outcomes in designing multihead food printers and their efficiency in food production through 3D printing are also briefed.