Sithiwichankit Chaiwuth, Suthithanakom Setthibhak, Chaiprabha Kantawatchr, Melde Kai, Chancharoen Ratchatin
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Institute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced Materials, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 19;15(1):30366. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-15164-9.
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.
本研究提出了一种用于直接墨水书写（DIW）的新型活塞驱动气动挤压系统，其具有灵活的驱动和挤压压力的实时监测功能。该设计整合了压力控制和进给速度控制的优点，在保护诸如含细胞水凝胶等对压力敏感的材料的同时，实现了一致的线宽。该系统包括打印头上的一个轻质气动注射器和一个固定的驱动单元，可实现运动和挤压的有效解耦。实验表明，明胶挤压稳定，平均线宽为4.32毫米，在打印距离上的最小增加率为0.012。这些发现为利用新兴软材料推进直接墨水书写技术带来了希望，特别是在生物打印和可持续制造方面。
