Chocolate 3D Printer: Realize Your Food Creativity

3D printing is already common in the food industry. The emergence of chocolate 3D printers means that chocolate is no longer limited to the form of traditional molds. Instead, it can print various complex patterns, shapes and structures according to the designer's creativity, providing food designers with greater freedom and creative space. This article introduces the working principle and advantages of chocolate 3D printers, as well as several popular chocolate printers on the market to help you understand the charm of this technology.

Source:https://medium.com/forwardfooding/choc-edge-revolutionising-the-chocolate-experience-with-3d-printing-a4c5e2906a84

How does a chocolate 3D printer work

Chocolate 3D printers operate in a similar way to FDM (fused deposition modeling) printers. The key difference is the material. FDM printers melt plastic filaments and extrude them layer by layer. Chocolate printers are naturally chocolate, but they require more precise temperature control so that the material can be heated to a precision sufficient for extrusion, but not heated to a state where it remains molten after extrusion. In addition, chocolate does not harden as quickly as traditional filaments. Here is a detailed breakdown of the printing process:

Melt chocolate: Gently heat high-quality chocolate to the melting point and load it into a specialized extruder. Carefully maintain the temperature to keep the chocolate in a liquid state.

Digital design preparation: Create a 3D model using CAD software or choose from a design library. Most chocolate printers can process STL files from 3D model websites and have their own unique chocolate design templates.

Layer-by-layer extrusion: The extruder deposits melted chocolate onto a flat surface or pre-prepared base. Similar to FDM printers, the chocolate is dispensed layer by layer following a digital tool path. Each layer builds on the previous layer to form the desired structure.

Cooling and solidification: After deposition, the chocolate cools and solidifies quickly, ensuring that the layers adhere correctly while maintaining the structural integrity of the design.

Advantages of chocolate 3D printing

Compared with traditional injection molding, one of the major advantages of 3D printing is that it is easy to make original chocolate without a mold.

Personalized design: Chocolate 3D printing can produce unique shapes and patterns according to needs to meet personalized customization needs, such as wedding cake decorations, brand logos, holiday gifts, etc.

Complex structure realization: Traditional chocolate making methods have great limitations on complex geometric shapes, while 3D printing can easily achieve highly complex designs, such as hollow structures or multi-layered artistic shapes.

Popular Chocolate 3D Printers on the Market

Cocoa Press 3D Printer

Cocoa Press is an innovative DIY kit printer designed for chocolate 3D printing, bringing the power of chocolate printing to the consumer market. It is based on the improved design of the Voron printer, with a build volume of 140 x 150 x 150 mm, and can extrude up to 65 grams of chocolate in one print. The printer uses a precise temperature control system to heat the chocolate to a temperature suitable for extrusion while preventing it from remaining molten after cooling.

Source: https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/17/24074150/cocoa-press-3d-printed-chocolate

As a DIY kit, Cocoa Press takes about 10 hours to assemble, and all parts are carefully packaged and labeled. The assembly experience is similar to building Lego or Gundam models. For users with 3D printing experience, this machine is both fun and practical, and it is also aimed at beginners who want to explore the possibilities of chocolate printing. Each set costs $1,499 (excluding printed parts), plus each refill of the chocolate core costs about $4.90. The target customers are mainly bakeries, pastry shops and chocolate manufacturers, especially those who want to break through the limitations of traditional molds and make complex custom designs.

Mycusini 2.0

Mycusini 2.0 is a chocolate 3D printer launched by Print4Taste GmbH in Germany. It is designed with the needs of home users and pastry lovers in mind. Mycusini 2.0 focuses on simplicity and user-friendliness, aiming to make it easy for non-professional users to print chocolate works. It uses chocolate bars as printing materials. The chocolate bar form is easy to operate. Users only need to put the chocolate in the heater and then print.

Source: https://www.voxelmatters.com/the-mycusini-2-0-enables-bespoke-3d-printed-chocolate-making/

This printer is very easy to operate, without complicated settings and bed leveling. Users can start printing with more than 1,000 preset slice files, and the device supports importing and slicing users' own 3D model files. Mycusini 2.0 is particularly suitable for making simple decorations, letters and small works, which can effectively meet some personalized needs. The basic version is priced at 478 euros, and the chocolate consumables cost about 5 euros per 100 grams.