Characterizing the 3-Dimensional Printability of Alginate–Gelatin and Nanocellulose Gels via Fringe Projection

Gelatin-based hydrogels have been preferred in biomedical applications such as tissue engineering, drug delivery, and lens fabrication due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and mechanical stability. Three-dimensional (3D) printing enables the fabrication of complex structures demanded by...

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Main Authors: Anush Lakshman, Yanhua Huang, William Bussey, Lingling Liu, Beiwen Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2025-01-01
Series:Advanced Devices & Instrumentation
Online Access:https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/adi.0116
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author Anush Lakshman
Yanhua Huang
William Bussey
Lingling Liu
Beiwen Li
author_facet Anush Lakshman
Yanhua Huang
William Bussey
Lingling Liu
Beiwen Li
author_sort Anush Lakshman
collection DOAJ
description Gelatin-based hydrogels have been preferred in biomedical applications such as tissue engineering, drug delivery, and lens fabrication due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and mechanical stability. Three-dimensional (3D) printing enables the fabrication of complex structures demanded by these applications. While material selection and parameter optimization are crucial preparatory steps for 3D printing, current methods rely on 2D imaging techniques for quality assessment and feedback control. These methods have limited resolution and are sensitive to ambient lighting and substrate color, leading to characterization errors. This paper presents a 3D evaluation method based on fringe projection profilometry (FPP) to overcome the limitations of existing techniques. The proposed approach enables material and extrusion rate selection by quantifying lateral and z-axis deviations in strand prints caused by improper extrusion, using a telecentric fringe projection system. We validate this method by evaluating 7 sodium alginate–gelatin hydrogel combinations with varying component concentrations. Final validation is conducted by printing a test capsule, imaging the freeze-dried print using a conventional FPP system, and analyzing its structural conformance.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2767-9713
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
record_format Article
series Advanced Devices & Instrumentation
spelling doaj-art-b3206b9c1695488d826fdca0d2fe2d5e2025-08-20T04:00:51ZengAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)Advanced Devices & Instrumentation2767-97132025-01-01610.34133/adi.0116Characterizing the 3-Dimensional Printability of Alginate–Gelatin and Nanocellulose Gels via Fringe ProjectionAnush Lakshman0Yanhua Huang1William Bussey2Lingling Liu3Beiwen Li4Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA.North America Production Research, Bayer Crop Science, Creve Coeur, MO 63141, USA.Department of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA.School of Environmental, Civil, Agricultural and Mechanical Engineering, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.School of Environmental, Civil, Agricultural and Mechanical Engineering, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.Gelatin-based hydrogels have been preferred in biomedical applications such as tissue engineering, drug delivery, and lens fabrication due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and mechanical stability. Three-dimensional (3D) printing enables the fabrication of complex structures demanded by these applications. While material selection and parameter optimization are crucial preparatory steps for 3D printing, current methods rely on 2D imaging techniques for quality assessment and feedback control. These methods have limited resolution and are sensitive to ambient lighting and substrate color, leading to characterization errors. This paper presents a 3D evaluation method based on fringe projection profilometry (FPP) to overcome the limitations of existing techniques. The proposed approach enables material and extrusion rate selection by quantifying lateral and z-axis deviations in strand prints caused by improper extrusion, using a telecentric fringe projection system. We validate this method by evaluating 7 sodium alginate–gelatin hydrogel combinations with varying component concentrations. Final validation is conducted by printing a test capsule, imaging the freeze-dried print using a conventional FPP system, and analyzing its structural conformance.https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/adi.0116
spellingShingle Anush Lakshman
Yanhua Huang
William Bussey
Lingling Liu
Beiwen Li
Characterizing the 3-Dimensional Printability of Alginate–Gelatin and Nanocellulose Gels via Fringe Projection
Advanced Devices & Instrumentation
title Characterizing the 3-Dimensional Printability of Alginate–Gelatin and Nanocellulose Gels via Fringe Projection
title_full Characterizing the 3-Dimensional Printability of Alginate–Gelatin and Nanocellulose Gels via Fringe Projection
title_fullStr Characterizing the 3-Dimensional Printability of Alginate–Gelatin and Nanocellulose Gels via Fringe Projection
title_full_unstemmed Characterizing the 3-Dimensional Printability of Alginate–Gelatin and Nanocellulose Gels via Fringe Projection
title_short Characterizing the 3-Dimensional Printability of Alginate–Gelatin and Nanocellulose Gels via Fringe Projection
title_sort characterizing the 3 dimensional printability of alginate gelatin and nanocellulose gels via fringe projection
url https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/adi.0116
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