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Confectionery 3d printing
Take a peek inside the Sugar Lab, L.A.’s 3-D-printing candy shop
There’s something Willy Wonka-esque happening in an industrial studio at the edge of Lincoln Heights.
Tiny truffles, sugar cubes and dissolving drink additions that can infuse a cocktail with glitter and bitters are being built seemingly out of thin air, one layer at a time in whirring machines that create intricate, edible, colorful candies.
You won’t encounter a top-hatted candy magnate at Sugar Lab, a 3-D-printing confectionery where science meets sweets. Instead, there’s a small team of architects, designers and chefs who tinker with sugar sculptures and recipes, building with modded and food-safe 3-D printers that are more typically used for metalworking. Large-scale sugar sculptures and branded, custom treats are made for chefs and companies, while the tiniest, most dainty candy sets with themes such as holidays or Koreatown can be purchased on the company’s website.
While many 3-D-printed candies start with paste, Sugar Lab prints with fine powdered sugar — as well as dehydrated spices and vegetables — to produce treats like peppermint-flavored latte cups (which are piped with mocha chocolate later in the process) or tart lime-and-salt luchador masks that are filled with caramelized-pineapple ganache.
They have a whimsical, surprising feel — appropriate for a company that was born of a “what if” moment.
Sugar Lab’s 3-D printers can create hollow, flavored sugar structures, which can then be piped with chocolate ganaches, caramels and other sweets to create peppermint mocha truffles and other confections.
(Shelby Moore / For The Times)
An experiment gone well
In 2011, Sugar Lab founder and Chief Executive Kyle von Hasseln was an architecture student who found himself more fascinated with design than the practice of building. While studying at the Southern California Institute of Architecture he familiarized himself with the communal 3-D printers on campus and decided to invest in one for himself. “I wanted to start experimenting with the 3-D printers, kind of hacking them and seeing what else I could print with,” he said.
He purchased a 3-D printer the size of a dining table, flew to Colorado to retrieve it, drove it back to California and then parked it at his house.
But Von Hasseln didn’t start with sugar. He laid the groundwork for his experimentation with sawdust and cement.
Then he had an epiphany: “Just to be kind of cheeky, because it was inexpensive, I tried sugar and it worked pretty well,” he recalled. “It was like a C+, while all the other materials were like a D or an F. And it was beautiful: It was kind of translucent — I was using table sugar at the time — and months later I started to realize, OK, if we actually rebuilt this printer carefully to be FDA [and] NSF [National Sanitation Foundation] certified, what would it be like to have a design firm for chefs?”
He started small, printing in all-white monochrome; his first shape was simple, probably a small cube. The first creation that made him realize he might actually have a business was a 3-D-printed sugar tiara that adorned a cupcake for his sister-in-law with her name written in cursive. It was created with a mouse on a laptop, a blend of water and sugar and maltodextrin — a vegetable starch, which helps to act as a binding agent — and the 3-D printer he bought in Colorado.
He and his wife, Liz (who also goes by Ren), began to worry that others might beat them to market, so they headed to the downtown L.A. Central Library to research the patent process, constantly refreshing their web browsers for months out of fear that someone else would get there first. Von Hasseln came close to dropping out of school to pursue the printer full-time but decided to complete his degree while starting the business.
Sugar Lab uses 3-D printers inspired by inkjet technology to add water to sugar, one layer at a time.
(Shelby Moore / For The Times)
Around the time of Von Hasseln’s powdered-sugar experimentation, 3-D printing was booming, from machines advancing the medical field through the printing of prosthetics to hobbyists building basic shapes at home. The process — sometimes referred to as “additive manufacturing” — was conceptualized in the 1940s but didn’t develop much further until the 1970s, when it started to be used primarily for building metal objects.
In the aughts and 2010s, thanks in part to the growth of industrial manufacturing and to ubiquitous 3-D-printing videos spreading through the internet, the field was full of interest, innovation and seed money.
“MIT was working on it, NASA was working on it, other huge firms — full governments, like in the Netherlands — had research projects around it, and everyone else was extruding 3-D paste, like if you had a hot glue gun,” Von Hasseln said. “If you were a chef and you could pipe really carefully you could build up an object, and that’s the way they were doing it. It didn’t have color, the geometry was a little slumpy because it was paste, and we were just like, Why is nobody using powder technology?”
Kyle and Liz von Hasseln finished patenting the powdered-food 3-D printer and shortly thereafter, Sugar Lab was acquired by 3-D Systems, a South Carolina-based company. With their newfound funding, the Von Hasselns tapped friend, designer and fellow SCI-Arc grad William Hu to help creative direct — and connect the company to the culinary community.
At the start, their focus was solely on restaurants and businesses; in late 2020, they launched their retail operation.
Feeding their interests
Hu’s fascination with food began early, spurred by spending time in his father’s Chinese restaurant in Texas. Like Von Hasseln, he was drawn more to architecture’s design training than the idea of working for a traditional firm and relished creating with sugar, a new medium in the 3-D-printing space. “I’m also just a huge foodie, and so I love finding new spots and cooking and tools,” Hu said. “I use that to inspire our work in the lab — and with architecture and food together, I was just at a playground.”
Founder Kyle von Hasseln, left, and partner-creative designer William Hu met in architecture school. Now they’re using their training and expertise to build sculpture and candy out of sugar.
(Shelby Moore / For The Times)
Hu works with chefs to develop their ideas into a 3-D-printed sweet or savory object, be it an onion cube that dissolves with a tableside pour of oxtail beef broth at Josiah Citrin’s Mélisse to create an interactive soup course or a 3-D-printed sugar honeycomb flavored with lavender blossom for Las Vegas chef Yuri Szarzewski, who pipes the shape with fresh goat cheese and drizzles it all with honey for his cheese plate.
These more customized orders fall under Sugar Lab Pro, while the higher-volume customized pieces — like a few hundred pairs of tiny, sugar-sculpted shoes for an athletic brand’s launch party — fall under Currant 3D, a Sugar Lab offshoot.
Another partner, Meagan Bozeman, handles operations for the company, including assembling its own culinary team and helping to build the Lincoln Heights kitchen space where production takes place. Its crew of in-house chefs helps the founder-designers understand their printers’ culinary potential. Mei Lin, a “Top Chef” winner and the brain behind Silver Lake Sichuan fried chicken shop Daybird, began consulting with Sugar Lab in 2015.
“I was brought in to consult, but it was really just me being enamored with everything that was going on and me putting my two cents in — pairing different flavors with different shapes,” she said.
They would brainstorm design, discussing which flavors could be added to specific shapes and models. Not all powders work; powdered honey got gloopy with the addition of the water, and powdered gum was a disaster.
Once, Lin created a flower candy flavored with passion fruit. She also tried a hollow-printed quail egg, which she filled with egg yolk jam and beef tartare at the bottom. She tinkered with alcohol and freeze-dried fruit — even attempting cricket powder as a binding agent.
The similarities to 3-D printing and cooking, Von Hasseln says, made the process exciting to chefs from the very beginning. They saw the potential even before he did.
Savory bouillon from Sugar Lab’s Koreatown set come shaped in the form of kimchi cabbage, squid and fried chicken, and can be added to soup broth for flavor.
(Shelby Moore / For The Times)
“It works in such a simple way that’s very similar to how people make food already, especially in baking,” Von Hasseln said. “You separate the wet and dry ingredients, which are essentially just water and then the sugar and maltodextrin. We mix them really precisely ... but it’s the same effect of mixing frosting in a bowl, and if you leave that out for a couple hours it hardens.
The evaporation is causing crystallization of those ingredients that are adjacent to each other, and are so fine, and that’s what makes them solid. It’s just mixing wet and dry ingredients super precisely. That’s all we do.”
Of course the mechanics and the process are a bit more complex than Von Hasseln’s mixing-bowl analogy. It took years of design and testing to build the printers, as well as communicating regularly with the NSF to ensure products could be created safely — and that the machines could be cleaned by anyone without a keen awareness of the 3-D printing industry.
Although its technology is unlike most other companies, Sugar Lab is far from the only business in the food 3-D-printing space. Many use food in other states of matter, as well as other printing mechanics, and are geared toward home-cook enthusiasts. The Mycusini printer, for instance, retails for about $560 and 3-D prints chocolate using cartridges that melt and can be used to create shapes or written words.
Millions of 3-D printers have been manufactured, and many of them are designed for home use from companies such as Voxelab, XVico and Phrozen; a few can be purchased for less than $200. Most of them rely on pastes rather than powders.
The place is humming
On a fall afternoon in the Sugar Lab kitchen, just a few blocks from its industrial office space, kitchen manager and resident pastry chef Victoria Johnson was running three of the team’s printers. Two were producing items found in Sugar Lab’s Koreatown-inspired kit — kimchi bouillon, meant to drop into soup — while another printer was building a new and hollow walnut shape for chef Szarzewski‘s Vegas restaurant.
Victoria Johnson sorts through trays of sugar candies and savory bouillon created in Sugar Lab’s printing kitchen in Lincoln Heights.
(Shelby Moore / For The Times)
Johnson receives digital files from designers, programs them into the machines, and then prints them, a process in which several layers of material are gradually added to form one compact piece of candy.
One arm of the printer spreads the powdered sugar, followed by a swift sweep of a second arm, which adds the water that binds the layers together. Production can take up to nine hours, depending on the volume of work.
For Johnson, a former Disneyland candy- and cake-maker, the technology offers endless possibility. In the kitchen, she whips up caramels and ganaches in small pots over induction burners and reduces stouts to flavor a line of truffles shaped like miniature craft-beer cans. She helps create tiny latte truffles, miniature holiday-sweater marshmallows, and dissolvable “potion” glitter bombs and sugar skulls for cocktails.
Tiny red and green spheres roll around on one tray, playful “apple-covered caramel” bites — filled with lush caramel and apple butter — that riff on one of autumn’s most iconic flavor combinations. They’re nothing like Willy Wonka’s never-depleting Everlasting Gobstoppers, and intentionally so; Sugar Lab’s sweets were created to disappear — and be replaced by new, tech-possible varieties each season.
The 2021 winter collection includes vanilla-flavored, 3-D-printed marshmallows in the shape of tiny holiday sweaters.
(Shelby Moore/For The Times)
Past Collections – The Sugar Lab
Koreatown Collection Kit
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Koreatown Collection Kit
$49.99
(Un)traditional Hangwas
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(Un)traditional Hangwas
From $24.99
Kimchi Bouillon
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Kimchi Bouillon
$21.99
Bingsu Toppers
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Bingsu Toppers
From $24.99
Yakult Bottle Bomb
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Yakult Bottle Bomb
From $18.
99
Seoul Mule
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Seoul Mule
From $18.99
Kimchi Bouillons
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Kimchi Bouillons
$21.99
Craft Beer Chocolate Bonbon Flight
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Craft Beer Chocolate Bonbon Flight
From $24.99
Cucumber Cream Ale Bonbons
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Cucumber Cream Ale Bonbons
From $24.99
Hazy IPA Bonbons
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Hazy IPA Bonbons
$24.99
Mexican Chocolate Stout Bonbons
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Mexican Chocolate Stout Bonbons
From $24.
99
Holiday Peppermint Mocha Chocolates
Holiday Peppermint Mocha Chocolates
$24.99
Pumpkin Spice Latte Chocolates
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Pumpkin Spice Latte Chocolates
$24.99
Peppermint Mocha Chocolates
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Peppermint Mocha Chocolates
$24.99
Sushi Roll Bonbons
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Sushi Roll Bonbons
$24.99
Peppermint Mocha Chocolates
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Peppermint Mocha Chocolates
$24.99
Orange Blossom Egg Bonbons
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Orange Blossom Egg Bonbons
$24.
99
Strawberry-Covered Chocolate Truffles
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Strawberry-Covered Chocolate Truffles
$24.99
Holiday Peppermint Mocha Chocolates
Holiday Peppermint Mocha Chocolates
$24.99
Apple-Covered Caramels
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Apple-Covered Caramels
$24.99
Pumpkin Spice Latte Chocolates
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Pumpkin Spice Latte Chocolates
$24.99
(Un)traditional Hangwas
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(Un)traditional Hangwas
From $24.99
Koreatown Collection Kit
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Koreatown Collection Kit
$49.
99
Mexican Chocolate Stout Bonbons
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Mexican Chocolate Stout Bonbons
From $24.99
Hazy IPA Bonbons
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Hazy IPA Bonbons
$24.99
Cucumber Cream Ale Bonbons
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Cucumber Cream Ale Bonbons
From $24.99
Craft Beer Chocolate Bonbon Flight
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Craft Beer Chocolate Bonbon Flight
From $24.99
Luchador Tepache Bonbons
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Luchador Tepache Bonbons
$24.
99
Bejeweled Spring Truffles
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Bejeweled Spring Truffles
$27.99
Spring Pastel Bonbons
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Spring Pastel Bonbons
$24.99
Irish Stout Bonbon
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Irish Stout Bonbon
$17.50 Regular price $24.99
90s Throwback Bonbons
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90s Throwback Bonbons
From $24.99
80s Throwback Bonbons
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80s Throwback Bonbons
From $24.
99
Broken Heart Puzzle Chocolate Truffles
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Broken Heart Puzzle Chocolate Truffles
$27.99
Cranberry Glitter Drink Drops
Cranberry Glitter Drink Drops
$17.50 Regular price $21.99
Glitter Floral Skulls
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Glitter Floral Skulls
$21.99
Love Hurts Glitter Skulls
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Love Hurts Glitter Skulls
$21.99
Diamond Glitter Champagne Bomb
Diamond Glitter Champagne Bomb
$21.
99
Holly Jolly Glitter Skulls
Holly Jolly Glitter Skulls
$21.99
Day of the Dead Glitter Skulls
Day of the Dead Glitter Skulls
$21.99
Love and Hex Potion Glitter Drops
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Love and Hex Potion Glitter Drops
$21.99
Seoul Mule
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Seoul Mule
From $18.99
Yakult Bottle Bomb
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Yakult Bottle Bomb
From $18.99
Glitter Margarita Limes
Glitter Margarita Limes
$21.
99
Teddy Bear Champagne Bitters
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Teddy Bear Champagne Bitters
From $24.99
Diamond Champagne Bitters
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Diamond Champagne Bitters
From $24.99
Pumpkin Spice Drink Garnish
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Pumpkin Spice Drink Garnish
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Autumn Gourd Candy
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Autumn Gourd Candy
$18.99
Bingsu Toppers
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Bingsu Toppers
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99
Chili Lime Habanero Candy
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Chili Lime Habanero Candy
From $18.99
Piñata Watermelon Lemonade Candy
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Piñata Watermelon Lemonade Candy
$18.99
Teddy Bear Candy
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Teddy Bear Candy
$19.99
Heart-Patterned Roses
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Heart-Patterned Roses
$18.99
SMS Text Candy Hearts
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SMS Text Candy Hearts
$16.99
Sugar Lab Hearts
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Sugar Lab Hearts
$18.
99
Crystalline Ornaments
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Crystalline Ornaments
From $18.99
Holiday Marshmallows
Holiday Marshmallows
$18.99
Lumps of Coal
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Lumps of Coal
From $18.99
Snowman Kit
Snowman Kit
$18.99
Floral Candy Skulls
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Floral Candy Skulls
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Sugar Things RPG Dice Set
Sugar Things RPG Dice Set
$25.
00
Rainbow Glitter Drops
Rainbow Glitter Drops
$21.99
Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cubes
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Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cubes
From $18.99
Halloween Sugar Cubes
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Halloween Sugar Cubes
From $18.99
Mexican Hot Chocolate Sugar Cubes
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Mexican Hot Chocolate Sugar Cubes
From $18.99
Piñata Watermelon Lemonade Candy
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Piñata Watermelon Lemonade Candy
$18.
99
Lavender Rose Sugar Cubes
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Lavender Rose Sugar Cubes
$18.99
Rainbow Sugar Cubes
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Rainbow Sugar Cubes
$18.99
Red Peppermint Ombré Sugar Cubes
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Red Peppermint Ombré Sugar Cubes
$18.99
Sugar Cubes - Cinnamon Red
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Sugar Cubes - Cinnamon Red
From $18.99
Sugar Cubes - Blue Ombré
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Sugar Cubes - Blue Ombré
$17.99
Sugar Cubes - Orange Ombré
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Sugar Cubes - Orange Ombré
From $17.
99
Candy Cane Sugar Cubes
Candy Cane Sugar Cubes
$15.00 Regular price $18.99
Throwback Sugar Cubes
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Throwback Sugar Cubes
From $15.99
Spring Dessert Shells
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Spring Dessert Shells
$24.99
Romantic Dessert Shells
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Romantic Dessert Shells
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Gift Wrapped Dessert Shells
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Gift Wrapped Dessert Shells
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99
Candy Cane Dessert Shells
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Candy Cane Dessert Shells
$24.99
Pumpkin Spice Dessert Shells
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Pumpkin Spice Dessert Shells
From $24.99
Cranberry Glitter Drink Drops
Cranberry Glitter Drink Drops
$17.50 Regular price $21.99
Sugar Things RPG Dice Set
Sugar Things RPG Dice Set
$25.00
Rainbow Glitter Drops
Rainbow Glitter Drops
$21.99
Glitter Floral Skulls
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Glitter Floral Skulls
$21.
99
Love Hurts Glitter Skulls
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Love Hurts Glitter Skulls
$21.99
Diamond Glitter Champagne Bomb
Diamond Glitter Champagne Bomb
$21.99
Holly Jolly Glitter Skulls
Holly Jolly Glitter Skulls
$21.99
Day of the Dead Glitter Skulls
Day of the Dead Glitter Skulls
$21.99
Autumn Gourd Candy
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Autumn Gourd Candy
$18.99
Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cubes
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Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cubes
From $18.
99
Love and Hex Potion Glitter Drops
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Love and Hex Potion Glitter Drops
$21.99
Halloween Sugar Cubes
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Halloween Sugar Cubes
From $18.99
Mexican Hot Chocolate Sugar Cubes
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Mexican Hot Chocolate Sugar Cubes
From $18.99
Chili Lime Habanero Candy
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Chili Lime Habanero Candy
From $18.99
Piñata Watermelon Lemonade Candy
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Piñata Watermelon Lemonade Candy
$18.
99
Glitter Margarita Limes
Glitter Margarita Limes
$21.99
Spring Dessert Shells
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Spring Dessert Shells
$24.99
Lavender Rose Sugar Cubes
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Lavender Rose Sugar Cubes
$18.99
Spring Pastel Bonbons
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Spring Pastel Bonbons
$24.99
Rainbow Sugar Cubes
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Rainbow Sugar Cubes
$18.99
90,000 characteristics, pros and cons of each model07.04.2021
Content
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- What is a food 3D printer
- Field of use
- used raw materials
- 9000 9000 9000 9000
- Top 10 Best Food Printers: A List of the Most Current Models
- 1.
PancakeBot 2.0 - 2. Wiiboox Sweetin
- 3. Choc Creator V2.0 Plus
- 4. Choc Creator V2.0 Plus Food 3D Printer with Cooling Chamber
- 5. byFlow Focus
- 6. Chefjet Pro
- 7. Foodini
- 8. Mmuse – Chocolate 3D Printer Commercial ArtcakesOT7 .90BOT Printer F5
- 1.
- 10. ZMorph VX
- What is a food 3D printer
- Selection guide
- Output
A food printer is a high-tech device that is used to create culinary masterpieces. The decorative design of food products has reached a new level thanks to the use of modern technologies: high-quality and large-format printing is carried out on cakes, waffles, pancakes and even coffee. Here are the top best 3D food printers in different price categories for people who are fond of cooking. nine0003
What is a 3D food printer
The main feature of a food 3D printer is the raw materials used: instead of printing ink, the device is filled with edible ingredients.
The database stores a large number of different recipes, and in order to print a dish, you just need to select one of them and activate the printing process. The final product is layered on a work surface or on a plate: it can be baked in the oven or sent to the freezer. nine0003
Application
Futuristic 3D Printed Sugar Candy
Cookies printed with icing
Chocolate logos of famous companies
Cream Photo Print
Buying a food 3D printer is worth the owners of coffee houses, author's bakeries and private workshops. The finished product has a unique shape and bright appearance. Food printers are often used to create custom wedding cakes, cartoon character cookies, Christmas gingerbread cookies, and so on. The possibilities of a baker who owns such a device are endless: the main thing is to buy quality products. nine0003
Raw materials used
The following ingredients are used as raw materials:
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Chocolate without additives and impurities;
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Mastic;
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Sugar;
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Whipped cottage cheese;
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Vegetable and fruit pastes; nine0003
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Fish and meat pates;
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Flour;
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Cheese, etc.
The confectionery pattern is applied to sugar, wafer or shock transfer paper. The first type has a sweetish aftertaste and aroma of vanilla. Due to the snow-white surface, no additional coating is required: the drawings look bright and clear. The wafer paper is made from rice flour and does not have a special taste, due to the light shade, the final drawings look less clear. Shock transfer paper is completely transparent and is suitable for transferring a design to a product (for example, a cake). For the packaging of finished products, food-grade plastic for a 3D printer is used. nine0003
Interesting! Food printers are involved in waste reduction. Unattractive fruit and confectionery leftovers are used in the preparation of printing mixes. This makes it possible to use the means of production more efficiently.
Types of 3D food printers
Cooking enthusiasts can take advantage of the following food printing devices:
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Food 3D printers are devices that print dishes whose recipes are listed in a database.
The final product is layer-by-layer superimposed on the work surface, and the raw material comes from filled cartridges; nine0003 -
Confectionery printers are used to transfer images onto specialty paper or to design small confectionery products such as candies. Such printers print an image on pre-prepared paper: rice, wafer or shock transfer;
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Food plotters transfer the image not to paper, but directly to the finished product. For example, a plotter is used to transfer an image directly onto a cake. nine0003
There are several types of food 3D printers:
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Extrusion - paint is applied to the surface before the dish is created. The process is controlled by the computer with the loaded image. The system has an extruder that heats the food mixture, and the distribution of raw materials depends on the print head. The raw material is loaded into a syringe placed in the head. This means that in order to combine different shades, you have to periodically stop printing and change the syringe; nine0003
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A carousel-type food 3D printer also has an extruder, but its main feature is the method of feeding raw materials: the containers rotate around the working surface, the supply and dosage of the material used depends on the recipe specified in the program.
The storage can contain countless recipes, and operation does not cause difficulties even for an inexperienced user.
Popular brands
Eminent manufacturers offer the best value for money food 3D printer. Quality devices provide accurate printing, high speed, durability, simplicity and ease of use.
Wiibox
This company manufactures 3D printers with high build quality and high productivity. These are universal mechanisms that fill both chocolate paste and mashed potatoes. Numerous positive reviews confirm the high quality of Wiibox products. nine0003
byFlow
The Dutch company byFlow specializes in food printing technology. The pursuit of excellence helps the company open up new horizons: the technique prints products from spinach, meat emulsion and other materials. High build quality, ease of use and durability - all these characteristics are applicable to the products of this company.
Choc Edge
Choc Edge is committed to revolutionizing the world of chocolate making.
Numerous experiments and focus on consumer feedback help to create more powerful devices that provide the optimal temperature for preparing and storing chocolate figures.
Attention! Printing dishes helps save time on cooking: instead of culinary worries, the user can simply activate the printing process and get on with other things.
nine0134Free shipping
Add to compare
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Manufacturer Choc Edge Available on credit. To checkout, add the product to the cart and follow the instructions Go nine0003
Manufacturer Wiiboox Free Shipping
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Manufacturer Choc Edge Top 10 Best Food Printers: List of the Most Current Models
Before you buy a food 3D printer, you need to familiarize yourself with the most popular devices on the world market.
The top is based on ratings and customer reviews. nine0003
1. PancakeBot 2.0
PancakeBot 2.0 is easy to use, which means it's suitable for inexperienced users too. Users can choose from suggested designs in the software, or create their own. Used to print pancakes.
Pros:
Ease of operation;
A wide range of proposed projects; nine0003
High speed.
Cons:
2. Wiiboox Sweetin
Buying a food printer from Wiiboox is worth not only for confectionery lovers, but also for ordinary chefs: the device prints cakes, cookies and even mashed potatoes. The main raw materials can be meat, cheese, chocolate, jam, mashed potatoes, dough and much more. A convenient touch panel helps to set the desired mode of operation, and a stylish appearance complements the interior of any establishment. nine0003
Pros:
Versatility: the ability to print not only sweet dishes, but also side dishes;
Attractive appearance;
High build quality;
Convenient control by touch panel.
nine0173 Cons:
High price.
3. Choc Creator V2.0 Plus
When talking about which chocolate 3D printer to buy, it is worth mentioning the numerous advantages of Choc Creator V2.0 Plus. The new model has become more perfect: the developers have worked hard to eliminate the shortcomings of the previous version. The modern model has small dimensions, thanks to which it can be used in any kitchen, and the uniform heating of the syringe ensures high-quality and uninterrupted operation. In practice, the chocolate printer has shown tremendous potential: it prints complex figures from chocolate. nine0003
Pros of :
Attractive appearance;
Uninterrupted work;
Durability;
The ability to create durable and beautiful chocolate figures.
Cons :
4.
Choc Creator V2.0 Plus 3D food printer with cold chamber
The new version of the Choc Creator V2.0 Plus printer is equipped with cooling chambers by popular demand. Users say that maintaining the optimal temperature in the room to preserve the integrity of chocolate figures is too problematic: therefore, the new device cools the raw materials. The price of a food 3D printer with a cooling system is slightly higher than a classic one, but the high performance of the final product justifies any costs. nine0003
Pros of :
Availability of a cooling system for finished products;
High printing precision;
Long service life;
Ease of use: You can turn the fans on and off with the side buttons.
Cons :
High price.
Attention! Confectionery food 3D printers are often used by artists to create edible masterpieces.
This is a unique technology that helps to unleash the creative potential of the chef.
5. byFlow Focus
Food printer from the Dutch company byFlow, which specializes in 3D printing of food. The compact high-tech device is used for the bakery industry, and the cartridges are suitable for the application of any pasty ingredients. nine0003
Pros:
Cons:
6. Chefjet Pro
Buying a ChefJet Pro food printer is a must for people who dream of making bright and stylish sweets. The device is created on the principle of inkjet printing: sugar-containing powder materials are used instead of paints. The final product is made by powder layering. The printer is suitable for combining different shades and creating gradients. nine0003
Pros:
The ability to create unique flavors;
Neat and bright printing;
Aesthetic appearance of the device.
Cons:
- nine0015
High price.
7. Foodini
The 3D food printer from Foodini works on the principle of a stationary printer, but instead of printing inks, layer-by-layer imposition of edible raw materials is used: dough, cream, chocolate, cream, etc. The device is versatile: the user himself can choose the material, or use ready-made cartridges with products.
Pros:
Practicality; nine0003
High build quality;
Attractive appearance;
Availability of an online platform with unique recipes.
Cons:
8. Mmuse – Chocolate 3D Printer
The closed MMuse 3D printer is suitable for chocolate printing. Chocolate beans are used as raw materials: they are heated in an extruder and fed to the work surface through the print head.
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Pros:
Cons:
9. ZBOT Commercial Art Pancakes Printer F5
ZBOT Commercial Art Pancakes Printer F5 3D Printer
A food printer from Chinese manufacturers is used in the process of making pancakes of various shapes. Ease of operation allows the device to be used by children under adult supervision. nine0003
Pros:
Ease of operation;
High build quality;
Affordable cost.
Cons:
10. ZMorph VX
A multifunctional 3D printer capable of printing not only food, but also rubber, ABS plastic, polylactide, PVA, nylon, elastic and metal materials. The product is able to print with chocolate, butter, cookies, icing and other ingredients. In addition, there is a function of engraving and CNC milling. nine0003
Pros:
Cons:
High price.
Selection guide
The modern market offers a wide range of food printers. Before making a purchase, you need to carefully study the characteristics of each model and build on your own preferences. Experts have created several recommendations for choosing: nine0003
In case you want to create realistic images for confectionery 3D printing, pay attention to the diameter of the nozzle: the narrower it is, the more accurate the image will be;
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It is better for people living in regions with a warm climate to purchase chocolate 3D printers with a cooling system: such devices ensure that the figurines are kept at the optimum temperature;
The possibility of self-refilling the cartridge is the most practical and economical way to operate the printer;
Print speed is an important consideration for restaurant owners. Large batches of dishes must be produced quickly, and for home use this is not a very strict selection criterion.
Output
In the catalog of our online store, you can choose the best food printers from famous brands to create culinary masterpieces. Explore our range, learn about the characteristics of each printer and make great purchases. nine0003
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The chef and his 3D printer: how 3D printing is used in cooking today
3D food printing is a relatively new technology that allows you to make dishes of different shapes and from different ingredients.
Most food printers use FDM technology (material layering). The printer extrudes liquid material onto the print platform, forming a solid structure over time. nine0003
3D food printing has become much more popular in Europe than in China or the US. Some of the most well-known manufacturers include 3D Systems (ChefJet), Natural Machines (Foodini), BeeHex (Chef3D), etc.
Their machines can produce chocolate, pasta, sugar and more: the possibilities are almost endless. Next, we will tell you more about each of them.
ChefJet (3D Systems)
3D systems introduced food printers for the first time at CES 2014. Food printers will allow the production of multifaceted consumable forms of sweet culinary creations - from custom candy and pastries to large cakes and other desserts. The 3D Systems ChefJet Pro is a professional confectionery 3D printer designed to print in a variety of materials and colors. It works on the principle of 3D inkjet printing: the device forms thin layers of sugar-containing powder materials by treatment with water. nine0003
ChefJet can work with color, leaving single color prints on products. At the same time, the more advanced ChefJet Pro can handle multiple colors at the same time. Both printers can produce sugar or milk chocolate confections in a variety of flavors including cherry, mint and sour apple.
The maximum size of the construction area is 255×355×295 mm.
The device is equipped with a control module with a built-in touch screen for creating a 3D model, as well as a USB port and a wireless interface (Wi-Fi) for receiving print data. nine0003
Foodini (Natural Machines)
Foodini uses FDM technology (material layering). The printer extrudes liquid material onto the print platform, forming a solid structure over time.
The device is equipped with 5 capsules for 5 different ingredients, each of which can be extruded at different pressures and temperatures.
These capsules must be filled with already prepared materials in a paste state, prepared with a hand blender or in some other way. nine0003
The created 3D product can be consumed immediately after production (for example, if it is a dessert) or you need to give it a heat treatment (in case you printed pasta or pizza).
CHEF3D (BeeHEX)
CHEF 3D printer, developed by the BeeHex, is able to print a unique pizza for individual requirements of the client: for example, for a child you can create a pizza in the form , and for adults who suffer from gastrointestinal diseases, gluten-free pizza.
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The device uses a pneumatic system instead of the traditional 3D printing using layer-by-layer synthesis technology. In 2017, BeeHex raised $1 million in venture capital to produce 3D printers. According to the lead investor of the round, large pizza chains such as Domino's or Pizza Hut may be interested in the development.
BeeHex originally wanted to create a printer that would be able to make a variety of products for astronauts on long missions in outer space. But the co-founders of the company were able to adapt their original technology for the commercial market to create products on Earth. nine0003
Examples of using 3D printing in cooking
The use of 3D printing in the culinary field is beneficial for several reasons:
- automation, which will help reduce the cost of the cooking process by focusing on ingredients;
- creation of a single standard for all dishes;
- customization (creating forms that cannot be done by hand).
