3D Food Printer makes cookies and pizza in under 5 minutes
Fri 4 Sep 2015
3D-printed food has been seen before – but when cookies and pizza are involved we’re all ears. The Food Printer from Taipei-based XYZ Printing will go on sale in Asia next year, with the U.S. and Europe following soon after.
The 3D-printing machine, which was revealed at a press conference in November last year, works in much the same way as a traditional plastic printer by producing a layering effect – in this case with confectionery. The mixture is printed at different temperatures and consistencies on top of a piece of grease-proof paper measuring 200 x 150 x 150 mm. The uncooked food needs to be baked in the oven before serving.
The unit can hold up to three tubes at a time, creating sweet treats such as cookie dough, chocolate and pizzas (base dough, tomato sauce and cheese included), in under five minutes.
Using the touch screen interface on the front of the printer, users can select a recipe for various cakes and sugary desserts, such as scones and pastries. The printer is pre-installed with over 20 edible designs, but bakers are also able to upload their own patterns from the internet or via USB.
“We are working with different suppliers of food ingredients to go with the machine,” said XYZ Printing chairman Simon Shen. “We believe that in the future 3D food printers might be used in space to print out food for astronauts, a topic NASA is researching at the moment.”
For now, Taiwanese XYZ, which also makes 3D printers of the plastic variety including da Vinci AiO, has said it is keen to target commercial buyers including restaurants and bakeries, before evaluating consumer demand and other innovative applications. It will be priced at around $1,800 (approx. £1,200) per unit – an affordable price compared to rival models tagged at up to $5,000.
