This week the team presented at QRB2 with major progress in our printing prototype! Our presentation focused on the milestones that the team has accomplished with G-code controlled motor movement via the motherboard install, extrusion with the non-captive stepper motors, heat element verification & material property testing with even more types of food!

Regarding the motherboard, Andrew and Ian successfully demonstrated motor movement for all six motors connected to the new motherboard. Additionally, we highlighted the functionality of the three heating elements currently linked to the board, along with their heating response over time.

In terms of motors, Caylynne and Brittney provided insights into our current prints achievable with materials such as frosting, jelly, and peanut butter. Moving forward, our focus is on optimizing printing parameters to enhance print resolution. This optimization process will be material-specific, as different materials may necessitate varying extrusion speeds and printhead speeds to achieve uniform lines in each layer.

On the material science front, Lucas and Liying shared data on force requirements versus extension rates for new materials like cream cheese and carrot purées. Our next steps involve narrowing down the most successful materials for extrusion and conducting additive testing to explore how these ingredients can aid in post-print material setup.

Lucas also made some delicious no-bake cheesecake bars for our QRB2 that were a real show-stopper! We hope to continue recipe testing and get some of these bars printed soon.