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    The development of a steerable needle robot with biomaterials for the application of 3D printing in situ towards in vivo artificial muscles : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2023) Odendaal, Jean Henri
    Additive manufacturing is an emerging and continually growing field of research with great potential in the development of new technologies through which to change the world as we know it. This thesis offers a look from a 3D printing perspective towards the diverse fields of artificial muscle fabrication, bioprinting, polymer chemistry which can effect shape change or other responses under stimuli, as well an in detail investigation into steerable needle robotics and its potential as a mechanism for additive manufacturing. Since the 3D printing of (bio)polymers is generally reserved for the fabrication of structures on beds which are far away from where their intended use is intended, this thesis proposes an approach to 3D printing exactly the polymer that is of interest in the location in which it is intended. This thesis presents the research and development of a flexible steerable needle robot for the application of 3D printing (bio)polymers which could take the form of artificial muscles, bone, nerves, etc. in vivo. This is extremely challenging, however, and the research undertaken is intended towards building the capability to one day in future achieving this goal. Several experiments are presented which explore the characteristics of a custom developed steerable needle robot in application for 3D printing which include: its mechanisms, its control systems, its algorithms to accurately reach a target goal within a presented body, as well as it visualization system. Furthermore, this developed robot is then utilized to ”3D print” a (bio)polymer inside of a prepared phantom body (e.g., gelatine) to fabricate a bio-fiber. While the bio-fibers presented by this thesis are simple and do not react under any stimulus to act as an artificial muscle, there is a further future opportunity identified which could utilize advanced polymer chemistry to in fact achieve this end result. This thesis contributes towards the synthesis of multiple fields of research towards the goal of one day realizing the imagination of science fiction. Namely, the ability to quickly regenerate human tissue without the need for complex surgeries as well as the fabrication of fibers which could form part of artificial limbs or bodies.
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    Modular mechatronics technology for fibre-based manufacturing and biofabrication research : this dissertation is presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering conducted at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2019) Schutte, Juan
    There exists an opportunity within manufacturing for the development of technology capable of creating complex fibre-based structures. Additive Manufacturing (AM) has become increasingly relevant due to its ability to generate parts of a higher complexity relative to other traditional techniques. 3D Printing (3DP) technology is a form of AM through which much of this type of complex manufacturing is conducted. Currently this technology allows for the processing of many materials through a range of mechanisms. Whilst 3DP development has predominantly focussed on synthetic polymer and metal production, there is opportunity for this technique within Tissue Engineering (TE). This field is motivated by the shortage of donor organ tissues such as the cornea. AM is a potential methodology for the controlled manipulation of biomaterial/biopolymer as a form of production within TE. It is however critically limited in its ability to process submicron and nanofiber to generate fibre-based constructs such as those found within the cornea (stroma). This limitation yields restrictions in not only bio-printing based applications but also within attempts to innovate in traditional fibre-reinforcement based industry. There is a manufacturing based opportunity for the research and development of a technology capable of overcoming these limitations. The current restrictions within this field were evaluated through an analysis of relative literature. This led to the identification of electrospinning as a viable technology for both synthetic and biopolymer submicron and nanofiber production. The limitations of this technology were evaluated, leading to the potential for overcoming these utilising traditional methods of 3DP. Further evaluating current literature led to a hypothesized manufacturing technique. Additionally this literature indicated the need for development of a novel technology capable of performing research and development related work within this field. This resulted in much experimentation related to the generation of technology/componentry/mechanisms related to both the testing of the hypothesis as well as capable of facilitating future research. Work related to an increase in electrospinning productivity via electric field related manipulation was conducted as an attempt to reduce system complexity. This work did not circumvent the requirement for environmental control; as such, a method for the implementation of this to aid in productivity was required. Development of mechanisms yielded a strong requirement for a modular system allowing these components to be varied in accordance with the processing requirements. This ability to manipulate the system was achieved through the creation of both a function based coding strategy as well as the derivation of a potential modular electronics (PCB-stacking) technique. The derived novel technology’s success was demonstrated through a range of experimentation related to implemented forms of technology within the final machine. Regarding the forming of electrospun material, the direct method of electrospinning-based deposition of material upon molds did not achieve generation of the desired objects as such a method of fibre acquisition was implemented. Regarding collagen electrospinning, no dramatic variation on fibre distribution (alignment) could be derived in comparing the parallel or rotating mandrel-inspired approaches. Functionalisation strategies utilising ultrasonically generated vapour demonstrated promising capability in the bonding of synthetic polymers whilst acting to disrupt the more sensitive biopolymer. The use of corona discharge plasma for crosslinking yielded promising results for synthetic polymer ultimate tensile strength however, the proximity analysis/optimisation of this requires further research if this is to be applied to electrospinning-based AM. Finally, the ability to utilise the developed technology to generate both an automated manufacturing technique for fibre-based additive manufacturing and the creation of associated 3D forms was demonstrated as viable, thus validating this research project.
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    The development of feedstock for 3D printing and 3D knitting of continuous carbon fibre composite filaments : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering in Mechatronics at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2019) Kvalsvig, Andrew D.
    The main purpose of this research was the development of a composite filament comprising of a thermoset resin and long/continuous carbon fibre reinforcement for the use with additive manufacturing applications. Currently, there are composite materials available that consist of fibre reinforcement but none that utilise long/continuous fibre reinforcement with a thermoset resin in a controlled manner. A series of prototypes were developed to determine the production processes required to produce the composite filament. Specimens were produced from these prototypes were subjected to cross-sectional analysis to analyse the quality of composite filament being produced. The results from this research is a production method that consistently produces the composite filament with the desired material properties. The secondary purpose of this research was to analyse a commercially available 3D printer, the Mark One, that can produce composite parts using long/continuous fibre reinforcement and a thermoplastic matrix. An analysis into the capabilities and limitations of the Mark One was conducted prior to analysing specimens produced by the Mark One. An analysis of the tensile properties of parts produced by the Mark One was conducted using fibreglass and carbon fibre long/continuous fibre reinforcement. Tensile specimens made in accordance with the standard ASTM D638 for Type I specimens were produced and tensile tested. The Taguchi method was used to analyse the effect and contribution that three parameters had on the tensile properties of specimens. Complications with specimens fracturing incorrectly lead to a redesign of the tensile specimens to ensure the specimens would fracture correctly. Several design iterations were tested until a final design was chosen. This final design was used for both fibreglass and carbon fibre specimens. The results from the tensile specimens showed the effect that changing certain parameters had on the tensile properties and the contribution that each parameter had on the tensile properties produced using the Mark One. These results were confirmed by producing tensile specimens using the optimal combination of parameters and provided insight into the capabilities of the Mark One.
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    3D printing materials for large-scale insulation and support matrices : thesis by publications presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering, Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2019) Harris, Muhammad
    Additive manufacturing (AM) techniques have promising applications in daily life due to their superiority over conventional manufacturing techniques in terms of complexity and ease of use. However, current applications of polymer-based 3D printing (3DP) are limited to small scale only due to the high cost of materials, print times, and physical sizes of the available machines. In addition, the applications of 3DP are yet to be explored for insulation of different large-scale mechanical structures. For example, milk vats are large structures with complex assemblies (like pipes, joints, couplings, valves, ladders, vessel doors) that requires insulation to store the milk at a low temperature of 6 °C as per the NZCP1 regulations in New Zealand. Generally, milk vats lack any kind of proper insulation around them and require additional cooling systems to keep the milk at a prescribed temperature. Any variations in the temperature can lead to deterioration in the quality of milk. Therefore, there exists a research gap that can not only help to solve an industrial issue but also can be a first step towards real large-scale 3DP applications that can potentially lead to many others in future. For example, pipe insulation, food storage tanks, chemical storage tanks, water treatment. This research explores new and inexpensive materials for large-scale 3DP. For this purpose, the current state of the 3DP materials is analyzed and based upon this analysis two distinct approaches are devised: 1) in-process approach to improve the mechanical properties of the existing materials like polylactic acid (PLA), and 2) modification of inexpensive materials (like materials used in injection, rotational, and blow moulding) to make them printable. In the first approach, by controlling the process parameters, mechanical properties are studied. While in the second approach, blends of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) with different thermoplastics (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, ABS and polylactic acid, PLA) are investigated to achieve printability. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) are used to analyze the proposed materials. The overall objective of this research is to devise low-cost materials comparable to the conventional processes that are capable of providing good mechanical properties (tensile, compressive and flexural) along with high resistance to thermal, moisture, and soil degradation. The results present significant enhancement, up to 30%, in tensile strength of PLA through in-process heat treatment. However, the softness induced during printing above 70 °C directs to the second approach of developing the novel blends of HDPE and PP. In this regard, the research develops three novel blend materials: 1) PLA/HDPE, 2) ABS/HDPE, and 3) ABS/PP. These materials are compatibilized by a common compatibilizer, polyethylene graft maleic anhydride (PE-g-MAH). PLA/HDPE/PE-g-MAH provides highest tensile strength among all existing FDM blends (73.0 MPa) with superior resistance to thermal, moisture and soil degradation. ABS/HDPE and ABS/PP provide one of the highest mechanical properties (tensile, compressive, and flexural) in ABS based FDM blends with superior thermal resistance to six days aging. ii The chemical characterization of aforementioned novel FDM blends shows partial miscibility with sufficient signs of chemical grafting. The significant intermolecular interactions are noted in FTIR that shows the grafting through compatibilizer (PE-g-MAH). The DSC analysis shows visible enhancement in different thermal parameters like glass transition, melt crystallization and degradation along with signs of partial miscibility. Furthermore, TGA analysis confirms the partial miscibility along with the enhanced onset of degradation temperature. The increase in onset temperatures of each of the three blends proves the thermal stability to high temperatures. Hence, each of the developed blends is capable of resisting any material deterioration during routine cleaning operation at 70 °C of milk vats. This research has resulted in 5 journal publication (four published and one submitted), two conference proceedings and a number of posters presented at local conferences. This research is the part of food industry and enabling technologies (FIET) research program funded by the ministry of business, innovation and employment (MBIE), New Zealand in collaboration with Massey University, Auckland.
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    Design and development of a small-scale pellet extrusion system for 3D printing biopolymer materials and composites : submittted to the School of Engineering and Advanced Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering, Mechatronics at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2018) Whyman, Sean Matthew
    The aim of this research project is to develop a pellet-based 3D printing system that will accept biopolymer pellets to experiment with composite additives. Currently a majority of easily accessible or hobbyist 3D printers use filament as the input material for extrusion. With the goal in mind of printing using biopolymer materials and additive mixes, using filament remains achievable, but it would not provide as much freedom and exploration into unexplored areas. This can be an issue on the research side and a restriction on the hobbyist or consumer side where the material variety and printing capabilities such as recycling are much harder to achieve if not out of reach. This research report presents the process of designing and developing a pellet-based extrusion system to accept a range of biopolymer pellets for 3D printing. The system has been designed from first principles and therefore can be extended to other materials with slight parameter adjustments or hardware modifications. A robust mechatronic design has been developed using an unconventional yet simplistic approach to achieve the desired operating characteristics. The extrusion system uses a series of control factors to generate a consistent output of material over the course of a print. The platform and surrounding processes are setup so that software can be used to define the printing parameters, thus allowing for easy and simple adaption to dissimilar materials. The utility of the extruder is demonstrated through extensive printing and testing of the printed parts. Using Polylactic Acid (PLA) as the base material to test and develop the extruder system, the results of the print quality evolved as the extruders design became more robust. Several factors of the extruder contributed to large improvements such as; the hoppers rigidity, the internal geometries, the cooling efficiency and the software parameters. As these features progressed it enabled a much finer print quality and dimensional accuracy similar to what is seen in current Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) extruders today. The print comparison tests were carried out against FDM PLA samples to reveal a high similarity in mechanical strength and improvements to some areas of surface quality. Further testing revealed success in testing other materials such as PETG, as well as successfully mixing and extruding Harakeke flax fiber composite additives. The major limiting factor of the current design is its ability to withstand heat propagation up through the extrusion system. As higher temperatures are required to melt different polymers, the thermal tolerance of the drive motor will quickly reduce causing inconsistencies earlier on during printing. The water cooling block added into the design only prevent heat from travelling through the wall of the extruder and not the screw. A further limitation is that the extruder is made using aluminium as the material. This allows for quick start-up times, but it also wears at a fast rate and the shaved off aluminium ends up contaminating the processed material. Because this extruder accepts pellets, the range of possibilities for future applications is vast. With further improvements to better refine the process, the material range could expand to more unconventional materials that otherwise could not be printed using popular extrusion methods. As for a business sense, there are few well known methods of pellet printing and especially affordable systems. Therefore, an opportunity could be present to develop a commercially affordable desktop system or spin-off to enter a niche market.
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    Analysis of Selective Laser Sintering print parameter modelling methodologies for energy input minimisation : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering in Mechatronics at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2017) Mearns, Cameron D H
    Additive Manufacturing (AM) is the name given to a series of processes used to create solids, layer upon layer, from 3 Dimensional (3D) models. As AM experiences rapid growth there exists an opportunity for Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) to expand into markets it has not previously accommodated. One of the ways SLS can accomplish this is by expanding the range of materials that can be processed into useful products, as currently only a small number of materials are available when compared to other AM technologies. One of the biggest barriers to the adoption of materials is the danger inherent to high-energy processes such as SLS. The aim of this research was to identify opportunities to improve current methods for modelling the relationship between material specifications, and printing parameters. This was achieved by identifying existing models used to determine printing parameters for a new material, identifying weaknesses in current modelling processes, conducting experimentation to explore the validity of these weaknesses, and exploring opportunities to improve the model to address these weaknesses. The current models to determine printer parameters to achieve successful sintering include both the Sintering Window (SW) and the Energy Melt Ratio (EMR). These two models are complementary, and both are required to establish all common print parameters. They include both thermal and physical powder properties, but do not include any optical properties. This is significant because the nature of the SLS printing process relies on concentrated delivery of laser energy to achieve successful sintering. Analysis of two similar polyamide powders, one black and one white, identified that the two powders were similar thermally and physically, which meant the models predicted that they should both sinter successfully utilizing the same set of print parameters. Results of the experimental trials showed that no trials involving the white powder sintered successfully, and trials involving the black powder suffered from issues with either insufficient energy to successfully remove parts without damage, or excessive energy causing excess powder to bond to the part. Further experimentation was carried out to investigate the differences in optical properties using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Spectrofluorophotometry. FTIR revealed that there was a difference in absorption as a material property, indicating that differences in laser energy absorption could explain the results seen in the trials. Spectrofluorophotometry revealed minimal differences in fluorescence of the powders, suggesting it an unlikely source of energy loss. Future work is recommended to research a standardised form of testing setup that can be used to categorize the reflectance of a material, as current work relies on proprietary experimental setups. Finding methods of classifying the laser absorption that is easily available to operators would enable refinement of the EMR equation to reflect the energy losses during printing, and remove another barrier for adoption of new materials.
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    Development of low cost inkjet 3D printing for the automotive industry : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for a degree of Master of Engineering in Mechatronics, Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2017) Dixon, Blair
    The aim of this project is to develop a low cost, powder based 3D printer that utilises inkjet printing technology. The 3D printer uses a standard drop-on-demand inkjet print head to deposit a binder onto the powder bed one layer at a time to build the desired object. Existing commercial 3D printers that use inkjet technology are large and expensive. They do not allow much control to adjust printing parameters, meaning it is difficult to conduct research with different materials and binders. Due to these factors it is not viable to use one for research purposes. The automotive industry uses 3D printing technology heavily throughout the prototyping process, some manufacturers have even started using the technology to produce functional parts for production vehicles. Ford Motor Company helped develop 3D printing technology and brought it to the automotive industry while multiple university’s in America were researching the technology. Based off an open source design, the printer developed in this project has been customised to allow full control over printing parameters. The body of the printer is laser cut from acrylic. All mechanical components are off the shelf items wherever possible to keep costs down and allow the print area to be easily scaled. Binder is deposited with an HP C6602A print head which is filled with regular black printer ink. The ink is deposited onto a bed of 3D Systems VisiJet PXL Core powder. Custom made parts manufactured in house allow for the print head to be easily changed to whatever is needed. The print head used is refillable and can therefore be filled with custom binders. With the 3D printer developed in house, all aspects can easily be adjusted. Having full control over printing parameters will allow research to be conducted to develop new 3D printable powders and binders, or to improve the printing quality of existing powders and binders. The 3D printer has also been developed so that it is easy to adapt to other features to increase its capabilities. With the addition of a UV light source, UV curable binders could be researched; or with the addition of a laser, powder sintering could be researched.
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    Comprehensive investigation of mechanical properties of fused deposition modelling : a dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2017) Ferreira, Arno
    Fused depositing modelling (FDM) is a layer wise manufacturing method whereby parts are printed from the bottom up through the extrusion and deposition of a filament onto a print base. Various test methods exist for the determination of part mechanical properties. These include tensile, flexural, and impact testing and are conducted using a variety of standards including those of ASTM and ISO. Many researchers have investigated the effects of factors such as road width, raster orientation, layer height, and air gap on the mechanical properties of FDM parts. However, there are many unexplored factors that also impact on the properties of printed parts. For example, the printers used in characterisation studies are mostly commercially available or consumer market printers which allow only limited control over the print parameters and print with a limited set of materials. Similarly, the life of the printer can also affect the print quality but this has not been studied before. Control over machines could be achieved by purchasing additional print profiles from the manufacturers or by open-sourcing legacy hardware through retrofitment with new electronics and software. The latter option is more economically viable as there are a large number of decommissioned legacy machines that have superior hardware cheaply/freely available. A retrofitted commercial 3D printer would allow control over print parameters and printing with materials outside the ones sold by the manufacturers. This can open new avenues to study the properties of the printed parts. In this work, a Stratasys Vantage X 3D printer has been retrofitted and made open-source through a combination of hardware, software, and firmware modifications. These modifications result in complete control by the user over all print variables along with the ability to use any feedstock including custom made feed stocks and ones that are locked by the manufacturer. The printing accuracy of the machine is evaluated by optical imaging of the printed samples and destructive testing in accordance with the ASTM D638 standard. . To study the effect of the machine’s life on the properties, a longitudinal study is designed in which two groups of parts (with 0° and 90° orientations) are printed at two different times during the course of this research. The temporal spacing between the parts is eighteen months. The parts are designed according to ASTM D638 standard and printed on identical printers using the same parameters on both occasions. The parts are subjected to tensile testing for the mechanical characterization while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is used for the examination of the sample’s fracture and topographical surfaces. A difference is discovered between the Young’s moduli of old and new groups. The orthotropic nature of FDM parts becomes prevalent in the strain responses of samples with 0° samples experiencing the largest strain. Distinct differences exist between the diffusion levels of the chronological sample groups, with the original batch exhibiting greater diffusion resulting in almost indistinguishable layers and higher tensile strengths. Individual layers are easily observed in the newer sample groups. Topographical analysis of samples shows up to 0.1mm difference between the road widths with the older samples roads being the narrowest. Results from this research show that the age of the printer affects the mechanical properties of the parts with the older parts exhibiting greater strength compared to their new counterparts even though both were printer under identical conditions. Therefore, a significant difference exists between temporally spaced FDM parts. To conclude, this research has successfully retrofitted an old FDM system which is capable of printing various materials through a choice of user parameters. The longitudinal study conducted to study the effect of the machine age on the printed parts purports that as the printing machines get older their print quality deteriorates and this factor should be considered by designers when designing parts for functional purposes.
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    3D printing a transposed design in biopolymer materials using an articulated robot and pellet-based extrusion : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for a degree of Master of Engineering in Mechatronics at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2016) Brooks, Byron
    The aim of this project was to develop a new method of 3D printing. This method is a mix between Fused Deposition Modelling and freeform printing, using a 6 degree-of-freedom articulated robot and a pellet-based extruder to mix and distribute the biopolymer, to create commercial quality thin-shelled parts with aesthetic aspects unique to the process and with a reduced amount of material wastage. There is the potential for many industries to benefit from this new technology. Initially this project is focused on applications for artists as thin-shelled designs rarely provide the physical properties required for functional parts. An artist has provided a design to test the printer. The hopper is designed to work with a range of different polymer pellets. It is based off a previous student’s design and mimics the operation of an injection moulder by pushing the pellets through a heating chamber with an auger. The robot controlling the movement of the platform is an ABB IRB120. This robot has six degrees-of-freedom that allows it to reach several positions that would otherwise be impossible with a Cartesian system. The IRB120 has a very high spatial accuracy and repeatability. The design’s original format is converted to a flattened 2D format and the lines are interpolated to produce a 2D set of points. The overlaps in the shapes are removed to reduce the number of times the nozzle traces over previous paths, which helps to keep the layer thicknesses the same. These shapes are filled in with points so the contours are not empty. The points are then projected onto a mathematical model of the platform to produce a 3D point cloud. Finally, these points are converted into data for the robot to read. The design data points stream to the robot, which interprets them on the fly. Many iterative changes and improvements were done to the hardware and software as the result of continuous testing of the process and analysis of the print. The pellet-based extruder is an elementary design with numerous variables that affect the resulting extrusion. After many design iterations and improvements to the extruder, the extruder can produce a continuous strand of material, with relatively constant flow. The software accurately converts a design from the given format into a path for the contours, and another path to fill the contours. These paths are projected onto a model of the moulded platform. Each point along the path is put through multiple affine transforms to generate a location and orientation for the end effector of the robot. The robot is moved by streaming each point to the robot one at a time. The extruder was controlled simultaneously to create a printed design. The printed design is geometrically correct. However, the width of the extrusion path needs to be improved to increase the accuracy of the design to the reference one. The current prints achieve the correct visual properties in the extrusion. However, they require a secondary process to improve the surface finish. This project has produced a new 3D printing process, mixing Fused Deposition Modelling and freeform printing. This process can be adapted to be used in a wide range of applications. It has also produced a low-cost, effective pellet-based extruder that can be used to test a range of different materials, and their effectiveness in being used for 3D printing.
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    Design of food-inks for 3D printing of food images : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of PhD in Food Technology at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2016) Wegrzyn, Teresa Francis
    Food Layered Manufacture (FLM) is a novel food structuring which uses the Additive Manufacturing process (commonly termed 3D printing) to shape solid or gelled foods. Material is deposited layer‐by-layer by a robotics system controlled from a digital template. FLM requires greater control of structure formation than in conventional food manufacturing. This thesis examines formulation design for a prototype Food‐Inks 3D printer which extrudes a fluid thread of food material (Food‐Ink) to produce a 3D colour image embedded in a food item. The first Food‐Ink design target is a bread‐or cake‐like food with an elastomeric foam structure (sponge product, SP). Chapter 1 introduces FLM technologies, product concepts and formulation design strategies, identifies design tasks for Food‐Ink formulation, and surveys current understanding of SP structure development. Chapter 2 examines flow behaviour requirements for Food‐Inks on piping, colour‐mixing and deposition of image voxels, and characterises the flow behaviour of model SP Food‐Inks. The critical design parameters are the Food‐Ink shear‐thinning and viscoelastic properties, the relaxation times for stop‐start‐stop flow, the viscosity ratio between Food‐Ink base and added colour, and the pipe diameters on pumping and voxel deposition. Chapters 4 & 5 apply a suite of test methods developed in Chapter 3 & Appendix D to examine structure development in a non‐wheat SP formulation. Substitution with different flours produces variants in SP cooked structure. A blackgram bean‐buttermilk soluble fraction stabilises the batter foam interface and contributes to the elastomeric protein‐non‐starch polysaccharide domain of the cooked SP. Flour particulates control cooked SP void organisation by modulating batter bubble size and number distributions and the liquid phase volume, while soluble flour biopolymers control bubble expansion by modulating the flow properties of the liquid phase. The Food‐Inks 3D printer applies a new technology with little supporting information in the public domain. The study concludes that SP formulations are unsuited for this application. The overall study outcomes are 1) a comprehensive identification of constraints on Food‐Ink and equipment design for the Food‐Inks 3D printing application, and 2) a system‐level design summary for SP formulation that includes novel structuring functions identified for non‐wheat flours.