Food and Printers, sounds different. The idea of 3D printers creates an image of complex dishes made instantly with perfection. Edible 3D printers are now greatly preferred for both personal and professional use.
A 3D food printer utilizes 3D printing technology to create food. Rather than engaging in physical cooking, 3D printers prepare the food in the desired form. Once the printing process is complete, some foods are recooked in an oven. On other hand, chocolates and candies can be consumed directly after printing without needing recooking.
Food created from 3D printers utilizes edible ingredients and are safe to use.
Food printing machines are made from materials such as stainless steel and food-safe plastics like polypropylene and acrylic. Some of the commonly used ingredients for 3D printing include:
- Chocolate
- Sugar
- Pancake Batter
- Cake Icing
- Cultured meat
- Cheese and others
The 3D food printers are slowly becoming a part of big restaurant’s kitchens due to their ability to produce unique 3D food items in lesser time effortlessly.
A 3D printer utilizes FDM printing to generate a 3D version of food items. In the process, ingredients are dispensed into syringe-type dispensers. The food printer rotates dispenser’s head around the build plate, scans one food layer each at a time, until the final product is obtained.
Due to the usage of highly viscous ingredients, food is printed at a comparative fast pace. It takes nearly 7 to 45 minutes to print a food, depending on product design complexity.
The technology utilizes precise ingredient controllers to ensure ingredient accuracy and minimize food wastage.
One of the appealing features of 3D food printers is that it promotes creativity. You can create highly innovative and creative products with printers that are difficult to make with hands. The food is customizable in accordance with the client’s preferences.
You can also print brand logos, texts, and pictures on food items with the help of 3D printers.
As we have understood what 3D food printers are, let us check the top 10 3D food printers available in the market.
1. FoodBot S2
FoodBot S2 is an innovative 3D food printer that can print chocolates, biscuits, jams, and toffees. The printing speed is adjustable between the range of 15 to 70 millimeters per second. The 3D food printer utilizes nozzles, ranging between 0.3 to 1.5mm. With its sleek and futuristic design and 5.2 inch touchscreen, the printer enables a sci-fi experience for users.
2. Createbot
Createbot is a highly sophisticated 3D printing machine available in three colors: simple silver, champagne gold, and rose gold. Createbot has speed, price, and appearance similar to the Foodbot. It can print ingredients like chocolates, biscuits, and green bean paste, and the speed is adjustable as per material usage. You can efficiently operate Createbot from your mobile phones and laptops. The printer’s temperature is controllable enough to hold the nutrients content in print meal items.
3. byFlow Focus
The byFlow Focus is a portable 3D food printer encompassing user-filled syringes to create designs on a static plate. The printer is widely popular in professional kitchens and 3D-enabled restaurants for printing chocolates and thick pastes. The machine enables chefs and patissiers to customize and print edible food items in desirable forms. With a 3-year license warranty, the byFlow Focus offers a collection of over 100 different shapes and additional accessories, including print heads, nozzles, and extra cartridges.
4. Mycusini 2.0
Mycusini 2.0 is a modern, budget-friendly food 3D printer introduced by a German company named Print2Taste. Mycusini 2.0 has a stainless steel cartridge refilled with chocolates that can easily fit into a kitchen cupboard. The latest model features a nozzle measuring 1.0 mm and comes in five colors with a removable platform for easy cleaning. It allows you to customize designs by allowing access to more than 1,000 objects in templates library.
5. Wiiboox Sweetin
Wiiboox Sweetin is a famous chocolate 3D printer created by the Chinese company Wiiboox. The 3D food printer can easily extract edibles such as jams, mashed potatoes, and chocolates from the thick paste extruder. Wiiboox features an easy-to-use touchscreen and an auto-leveling mechanism to free users from tedious leveling tasks. You can also download free ready-to-print chocolate models from the printer.
6. Foodini
Foodini is a well-established 3D food printer designed by Spanish company Natural Machines that focuses on streamlining time consuming tasks. The printer can print edible items, including pizza, spaghetti, and burgers. Foodini is used as a professional kitchen tool in large restaurants. It speeds up food production by utilizing next-gen 3D models and IOT. It is an automated kitchen appliance designed especially for chefs, hotels, restaurants, and labs.
7. Zmorph Fab
Zmorph Fab is an extremely versatile 3D food printer known for its heavy reliability and rigid design. The printer is easily convertible into a laser engraver or a CNC mill. You can print chocolates, Nutella, cookie dough and some edible 3D food filaments. It offers a decent resolution layer and excellent stability to print plastic filaments.
8. Cocoa Press
Cocoa Press is a user-friendly DIY chocolate 3D printer that heats all the chocolate at once before feeding it into the machine for printing. The printer can print upto 70g of chocolates at a time using the cartridges. The printer utilizes PrusaSlicer in the printing process. Its pro version is going to be launched soon with additional features such as extra cartridges, accessories, and a permanent warranty.
9. Procusini 5.0
Procusini 5.0 by Print4Taste is a “plus-and-play” 3D food printer featuring an effortless cartridge system for feedstock and an easily detachable nozzle. It includes four different chocolates and a specially formulated food cartridge that is heatable up to 60 °C. The LCD ensures smooth and faster operations in the kitchen. With its dual extrusion machine, you can print two edible materials simultaneously.
10. Choc Creator 2.0 Plus
The Choc Creator 2.0 Plus is an innovative and picturesque food printer launched by Anglo-Chinese company Choc Edge. The printer is a go-to choice for chocolate and niche bakers. Choc Creator utilizes a layer-by-layer method to print edible objects. You can easily access the printer with its large responsive touchscreen. The printer encompasses a 0.8mm nozzle accommodating 3D food material and is easily replaceable with a 30ml metal syringe.