This 3D Printer Sells for $4,000 and Prints Chocolate Instead of Plastic

Adrianne Jeffries — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 08:29:13 -0400

(www.chocedge.com)

A new company reminds us that as far as the 3D printing revolution goes, we have only seen the tip of the iceberg. U.K.-based Choc Edge Ltd. has developed a 3D printer, the Choc Creator, that prints in chocolate, not plastic. The demo video is typical for the 3D printing aesthetic, a whirring machine arm precisely squeezing out lines of chocolate stacked like lines of code. Robot porn more than chocolate porn, you might say.

But there's a world of Wonka-esque possibility here, and it starts with ~~chocolate dicks~~ personalized chocolate Easter eggs, and ends with, oh, say, Lady Gaga wearing a chocolate dress to the Grammys in 2050. You can even fill the printer with different types of chocolate.

Prices for tailored, on-demand made chocolate products will vary, from a few pounds for small, individual items up to more than a thousand pounds for larger, artistic creations. Choc Edge Ltd will continue to be involved in designing and proto-typing new and different chocolate shapes to inspire its customers, but will pass orders onto its clients that have purchased one of the printers.

The company is accepting preorders for the machines, which are selling for about $4,000 apiece.

The printer is based on technology developed at the University of Exeter, where it was apparently quite popular. "Following a huge amount of interest in the potential for personalised 3D chocolate, Dr Liang Hao from the University of Exeter has founded Choc Edge Ltd, a company which will develop and sell its unique 3D chocolate printers to the world," the university announced last week.

Disclaimer: Choc Edge is in the process of obtaining food grade certification for the Choc Creator printer. Pre-order Choc Creator printer is not currently food grade certified. The printed chocolate is therefore suitable for printing trials and demonstration purpose only and not suitable for consumption.

New York is home to Shapeways and Makerbot, two leaders in the 3D printing revolution, who have sadly fallen behind on the confectionary side of the techonology.

Betabeat » This 3D Printer Sells for $4,000 and Prints Chocolate Instead of Plastic

This 3D Printer Sells for $4,000 and Prints Chocolate Instead of Plastic