"What makes this technology special is that users will be able to design and make their own products" said lead researcher Dr. Liang Hao. "In the long term it could be developed to help consumers custom-design many products from different materials but we've started with chocolate as it is readily available, low cost and non-hazardous ... In future, this kind of technology will allow people to produce and design many other products such as jewelry or household goods. Eventually we may see many mass produced products replaced by unique designs created by the customer."
The University of Exeter is developing the 3D chocolate printer in collaboration with Brunel University and software developer Delcam. The project is funded by the Research Council UK Cross-Research Council Programme - Digital Economy and is managed by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.