Measure Swelling

SWELLING is associated with an increase in size or volume of a product.

Swelling applications include tablets, gels, films, pellets, mucosal tissues, super-absorbent polymers, sponges, aquaculture feed, chemical and yeast leavened products, etc. 

Depending on application, swelling can be quantified by measuring changes in force or distance by either (i) compressing a product a slight distance and then measuring how force increases as the product swells, or (ii) applying and maintaining a small force onto the product and measuring the distance change as swelling occurs. 

NASA investigates 3D food printing

What will future astronauts eat during their multi-year mission to Mars?  

That’s a big challenge, since there are no supermarkets or farm stands along the way – and probably no room for a kitchen or pantry on the spaceship.  

To find a solution to this problem, US Space Agency NASA has awarded a $125,000 contract to Systems and Materials Research Consultancy, Austin, Texas, to study the feasibility of using additive manufacturing, better known as 3D printing, for making food in space.