Manufacturing of a 3D-printed electrode cost-effective based on carbon black and polylactic acid for detection of flunixin anti-inflammatory

•An electrochemical 3D-printed electrode was fabricated by additively manufactured.•The conductive filaments based-carbon black and polylactic acid was used.•The 3D-printed electrode was applied to voltammetric detection of flunixin.•The accuracy of the sensors was evaluated in environmental and pharmaceutical products. This study presents the manufacturing and application of a 3D-printed sensor based on CB/PLA for detecting the anti-inflammatory drug flunixin (FXN). The proposed sensor features a simple design and accessible construction process with fast production (∼25 min), fast activation (∼400 s), low cost (∼0.044 USD), and stands out for its sensitivity (0.083 µA µmol l-1) and low detection limit (0.30 µmol l-1). Furthermore, the sensor presents allowed the determination of the FXN in real samples such as pharmaceutical formulations (tablet and injectable), tap and river water without pretreatment. The selectivity obtained was satisfactory in the presence of metal ions and organic compounds. The results showed that the use of 3D printing technology with fast surface treatment made it possible to study the anti-inflammatory behavior of FXN in a satisfactory way. Therefore, it is pertinent to use 3D technology in electrochemical analyses of potential antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals. [Display omitted]