Flexibly actuated pneumatic extrusion with in-situ monitoring for direct ink writing of heterogeneous and pressure-vulnerable materials

Abstract This study presents a novel piston-driven pneumatic extrusion system for direct ink writing (DIW), featuring flexible actuation and real-time monitoring of extrusion pressure. The design integrates the benefits of both pressure and feedrate control, achieving consistent linewidth while safe...

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Main Authors: Chaiwuth Sithiwichankit, Setthibhak Suthithanakom, Kantawatchr Chaiprabha, Kai Melde, Ratchatin Chancharoen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-08-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-15164-9
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author Chaiwuth Sithiwichankit
Setthibhak Suthithanakom
Kantawatchr Chaiprabha
Kai Melde
Ratchatin Chancharoen
author_facet Chaiwuth Sithiwichankit
Setthibhak Suthithanakom
Kantawatchr Chaiprabha
Kai Melde
Ratchatin Chancharoen
author_sort Chaiwuth Sithiwichankit
collection DOAJ
description Abstract This study presents a novel piston-driven pneumatic extrusion system for direct ink writing (DIW), featuring flexible actuation and real-time monitoring of extrusion pressure. The design integrates the benefits of both pressure and feedrate control, achieving consistent linewidth while safeguarding pressure-sensitive materials such as cell-laden hydrogels. The system comprises a lightweight pneumatic syringe on the printhead and a stationary actuation unit, allowing efficient decoupling of motion and extrusion. Experiments demonstrate stable gelatin extrusion with a mean linewidth of 4.32 mm and a minimal increase ratio of 0.012 over printing distance. These findings show promise for advancing DIW with emerging soft materials, particularly in bioprinting and sustainable manufacturing.
format Article
id doaj-art-dca320231ac142f0b0b46db2fbc80d0b
institution Kabale University
issn 2045-2322
language English
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
record_format Article
series Scientific Reports
spelling doaj-art-dca320231ac142f0b0b46db2fbc80d0b2025-08-24T11:18:52ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-0115111610.1038/s41598-025-15164-9Flexibly actuated pneumatic extrusion with in-situ monitoring for direct ink writing of heterogeneous and pressure-vulnerable materialsChaiwuth Sithiwichankit0Setthibhak Suthithanakom1Kantawatchr Chaiprabha2Kai Melde3Ratchatin Chancharoen4Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn UniversityInstitute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced Materials, Heidelberg UniversityDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn UniversityInstitute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced Materials, Heidelberg UniversityDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn UniversityAbstract This study presents a novel piston-driven pneumatic extrusion system for direct ink writing (DIW), featuring flexible actuation and real-time monitoring of extrusion pressure. The design integrates the benefits of both pressure and feedrate control, achieving consistent linewidth while safeguarding pressure-sensitive materials such as cell-laden hydrogels. The system comprises a lightweight pneumatic syringe on the printhead and a stationary actuation unit, allowing efficient decoupling of motion and extrusion. Experiments demonstrate stable gelatin extrusion with a mean linewidth of 4.32 mm and a minimal increase ratio of 0.012 over printing distance. These findings show promise for advancing DIW with emerging soft materials, particularly in bioprinting and sustainable manufacturing.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-15164-9Direct ink writingMaterial extrusionBioprintingFlexible actuationIn-situ monitoring
spellingShingle Chaiwuth Sithiwichankit
Setthibhak Suthithanakom
Kantawatchr Chaiprabha
Kai Melde
Ratchatin Chancharoen
Flexibly actuated pneumatic extrusion with in-situ monitoring for direct ink writing of heterogeneous and pressure-vulnerable materials
Scientific Reports
Direct ink writing
Material extrusion
Bioprinting
Flexible actuation
In-situ monitoring
title Flexibly actuated pneumatic extrusion with in-situ monitoring for direct ink writing of heterogeneous and pressure-vulnerable materials
title_full Flexibly actuated pneumatic extrusion with in-situ monitoring for direct ink writing of heterogeneous and pressure-vulnerable materials
title_fullStr Flexibly actuated pneumatic extrusion with in-situ monitoring for direct ink writing of heterogeneous and pressure-vulnerable materials
title_full_unstemmed Flexibly actuated pneumatic extrusion with in-situ monitoring for direct ink writing of heterogeneous and pressure-vulnerable materials
title_short Flexibly actuated pneumatic extrusion with in-situ monitoring for direct ink writing of heterogeneous and pressure-vulnerable materials
title_sort flexibly actuated pneumatic extrusion with in situ monitoring for direct ink writing of heterogeneous and pressure vulnerable materials
topic Direct ink writing
Material extrusion
Bioprinting
Flexible actuation
In-situ monitoring
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-15164-9
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