From Oreos To Nutella — The Latest 3D Printed Foods, All 100% Edible
While it may sound futuristic, 3D printed foods are here.
A lot of the work is still in its early stages, with researchers at Cornell and MIT developing 3D printers made specifically for edible products. But there are also some commercial projects underway. Barilla, Hershey, and Mondelez International are just a few of the consumer food brands exploring the potential of 3D printing.
Check out these 3D printed Oreos, customized via Twitter suggestions.
At this year's SXSW, Mondelez International 3D printed custom Oreos based on what was trending on Twitter with the hashtag #eatthetweet. SXSW attendees could choose from 12 flavors includingbanana, mint, birthday cake, and lime, and then select either a chocolate or vanilla base for the cookie. The Oreo would then be printed in two minutes.
Apparently the cookies tasted like regular Oreos, but they fell apart a bit too easily.
The 3D printing machine was created by MAYA Design using aDelta Bot 3D printer, but at this point it will probably still just be a fun marketing stunt as opposed to something you'd see in a grocery store.
Structur3D Printing printed up some cool Nutella creations.
3D printing startup Structur3D created a 3D printer add-on called Discov3ry, which can create a paste from all sorts of materials, includingplastic, silicone, wood filler, and yes, Nutella.
At this past year's Maker Faire show, Structur3D demonstrated how they could print the Maker Faire logo with Nutella. Besides the Nutella creations, the add-on can also be used to print intricate cake decorations or complex designs using icing sugar.
The Discov3ry is available for preorder for $349, but you'll also need to have a 3D printer that is compatible with the add-on. The device is set to ship in December.
3D Systems is working on releasing a kitchen-ready printer that would let you print out elaborate confections.
In January, 3D Systems announced that it was getting ready to sell ChefJet, kitchen-ready 3D printers to create edible products.
The printer was showcased at CES and is targeting the average consumer, who probably doesn't have much experience with 3D printing. A complimentary' Digital Cookbook' will let users easily select a design to print out in a variety of materials, includingchocolate, vanilla, mint, sour apple, cherry, and watermelon.
They're aiming to launch two printers by the end of 2014 with the monochrome version in thesub-$5,000 price range and thefull-color, larger printer in thesub-$10,000 price range.
Barilla is developing a 3D pasta printer.
Barilla, the world's top pasta seller, is working on a 3D pasta printer for restaurants.
The machine would be able to print 15-20 pieces every two minutes, getting a pasta dish to a diner in just a few minutes. It would also allow for custom-designed pasta shapes.
Instead of flour and egg, the restaurants would need to feedBarilla pasta cartridges into the printer.
The machine is being developed with a Dutch tech company calledTNO Eindhoven. They've been tested in a few restaurantsin Eindhoven, but have yet to be mass-produced.
NASA built a machine that can print pizza.
Last year, NASA contracted material engineer Arjan Contractor to build a 3D food printer. The printer now exists andcan print edible pizza.
The machine prints out the pizza in layers, topping the dough with ketchup and cream cheese. It then is cooked by a heated surface. Definitely still needs work, but at least it's edible.
NASA revealed the pizza at SXSW, admitting that they haven't quite yet perfected the 3D printed pizza.
Choc Edge 3D prints chocolate.
Choc Edge's 3D printer prints out chocolate in layers toform a solid 3D chocolate product based on a computer design.
TheChoc Creator V1 is available for£ 2,888 (about $4700), and the newest version is available for pound; 3,888 (about $6300). You can also buy all the materials from their site. Or you can just order custom-made chocolates that they'll 3D print for you.
Hershey is also getting in on 3D printed chocolate, having partnered with3D Systems in January, but it has yet to unveil any actual products.
Natural Machine's Foodini lets you print your own ravioli.
Natural Machine developed the Foodini printer to help people cook with fresh and healthier ingredients. You just put in the prepared materials in capsules, select what you want to come out (say, ravioli) and the printer does all the work. You’ll still have to actually put it in an oven, though.
The Foodini is not yet available to the public. Original plans called for it to come out this year andcost around $1,300, according to the New York Daily News.
Cornell has developed a 3D food printer that can serve up some bizarre creations.
Cornell Creative Machines Labis developing a 3D printer that can createtiny space shuttle-shaped scallop nuggets, hamburgers with embedded layers of mustard and ketchup, and cake that when cut reveals a secret message.The printer uses edible inks and digital blueprints and works with cartridges to print out the product.
They're working to both expand the artistic capabilities in food creation as well as increase the scale of culinary production. This is still in development and has yet to shift over to commercial applications, but it could signal some really interesting forms of food coming our way.
PancakeBot is making Mickey Mouse pancakes look like child's play.
Norweigian Miguel Valenzuela and his wife Runi started PancakeBot in 2010 at their two daughters' request. They debuted the actual pancake printers at Maker Faire and are now focusing on inspiring kids to be creative and have fun with their food.
They are not selling the printers, but they have provided instructions to build your own out of legos.
3D printing isn't just affecting the food industry;
3D Printed Dresses Are Radically Changing The Meaning Of Haute Couture».
