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Technology has been a great ally to scientists over the last decades. In fact, some of the most important breakthroughs in soil sciences have been accompanied by technological advances. Either by enhancing experimental apparatus or by using more powerful computers, physical modelling has greatly benefited from technology. So far, the focus has been on better characterizing natural porous media. Less attention has been payed to creating artificial media. Understanding and controlling the geometry of the porous matrix is of great importance, as not only experimental studies but also numerical simulations demand a considerable knowledge of the porous matrix involved. In the present paper, 3D printing techniques are studied as means to produce artificial porous media. At first, an artificial digital model for the soil is chosen. In the present paper, 3D cellular automata are considered. Then, in order to bring digital models to the real-world, the artificial porous media are 3D printed. The dimensional accuracy of the printings is checked by performing a metrological analysis, revealing that the deviations between the digital and printed models are within the accuracy of the printer. This validates the usage of 3D prints as valuable tools to build real artificial porous media. Future works may consider other 3D printing techniques. Printing in flexible materials, for example, could provide samples for consolidation analyses.
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