Any figure created on the computer can be transformed into a delicious piece of chocolate thanks to an original 3D printer developed by scientists from the Universities of Exeter and Brunel, in the United Kingdom.
Creating it has not been easy. The 3D printing technology on which it is based, which it manufactures by printing successive layers of a material until lifting a three-dimensional object, is already used industrially to produce plastic and metal parts. But it is the first time that it has been applied with chocolate , a difficult material to work with because it requires very precise and fast heating and cooling cycles.
According to Liang Hao, a researcher who participated in its creation, what makes this technology special “is that users can design and manufacture their own designs , from the face of a friend to the shape of a child’s favorite toy.” Hao adds that they have started working with chocolate “because it can be found easily, it is cheap, it is not dangerous, and it does not generate waste as it is eaten.” However, he hopes that in the future this same technology will make it possible to create jewelry and even household products in a personalized way.
