English Abstract

3D-designable-gels Acceleration of Japanese-style Makers Revolution

Hidemitsu FURUKAWA
Life-3D Printing Innovation Center (LPIC), Yamagata University, Yonezawa City, Yamagata, Japan
Nippon Gomu Kyokaishi,(2014),87(9),389-394 General Review in Japanese

3D gel printer for manufacturing high-strength gel materials was developed. For innovation of gel-like materials, the development of manufacturing method for gels will be quite important. It is why the 3D gel printer was developed, which makes gel materials 3D-designable. Once the method will be digitalized, the application variety of gel materials will be expanded and accelerated enormously. The 3D-printed foods were proposed by local companies and citizens in Yonazawa City with the collaboration of research groups in other universities under the Center of Innovation (COI) projects of the MEXT. A local fabrication space is being made in the Yonezawa Station, named EkiFab. It will be a kind of Japanese-style makers revolution, started in a local city in Japan.

Keywords: 3D Printing, High-strength Gels, Digital Fabrication, 3D Gel Printer, Food Creation