Developing a 3D Food Printer

Burke, Ashley; Shukla, Nupur

Student Work

Developing a 3D Food Printer

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This project aims to merge three different disciplines, computer science, robotics, and mechanical engineering, to further develop a student-made 3D Food Printer (3DFP). Contributions from computer science and robotics will generate a software package that will facilitate the printer's function, whereas the mechanical contributions will ensure the machine is structurally sound and produce desirable prints through a material science lens. 3D Food Printing (3DFP) is a new and innovative approach to additive manufacturing with promising applications in nutrition, health fields, and military fields. 3DFP offers the user the ability to customize their food items by adding nutrients and vitamins to enhance the nutritional properties of their meals. Due to the infancy of this technology, readily available machines are lacking in many areas, specifically in user operations, both mechanically and in user interfaces. Thus, this project aims to fill these gaps and improve these criteria. Due to the large scope of this project, the project will consist of two distinct parts, the mechanical component – the building of the 3DFP, and the software side – coding the 3DFP to run additive manufacturing commands.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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