14 June 2012
Today 3D printers are much more affordable and are designed to operate in an office environment, plus they allow designers to design parts in 3D CAD that would be impossible or at least very difficult to manufacture using normal tooling techniques.
The technology allows manufacturers to produce products on demand rather than in large production runs, thereby improving inventory management and reducing warehouse space. Specific applications are also now being seen across the food industry including: food preparation, to apply items in liquid or paste form such as cheese, icing, and chocolate.
According to renowned printers, scanners, and projectors analyst, Tony Hoffman, the French Culinary Institute has been using a Fab@Home (www.fabathome.org) open-source 3D printer developed at Cornell University to prepare artistic delicacies, and the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) has created a 3D food printer called the Cornucopia.
"3D food printers could conceivably even match the Star Trek replicators, found in Starship mess halls throughout the galaxy." Hoffman said.
Read full article here: manmouthly.com.au