Manufacturability of Protein-Reinforced Foods With Overhang Designs

Abstract Printing overhanging designs in additive manufacturing presents considerable challenges, particularly for soft materials printing applications such as food. The principal hurdles lie in designing a food ink that ensures extrudability while also maintaining its shape after printing. This study investigates the impact of overhanging angles on the shape fidelity of printed samples and how the properties of the food ink composition influence structural stability. The investigation focuses on overhanging designs at various angles (0°, 30°, and 60°). Different ratios of mashed potato and pea protein mixtures were studied including 100% mashed potato, a blend of 50% mashed potato and 50% pea protein, and 100% pea protein mixtures. The food ink mixtures were characterized by measuring pH, moisture content, and firmness. Results showed the potato-only mixture (86% moisture content, 0.55 N firmness) exhibited significant shape distortion at higher overhanging angles. However, the equal percentage mixture of mashed potato and pea protein mixtures (81% moisture, 1.46 N firmness) maintained fidelity even at 60° angles. The enhanced dimensional precision of the potato-pea mixture demonstrates how tailored compositional tuning, informed by moisture and texture analysis, can improve shape fidelity for 3D printed overhanging geometries through improved structural stability.