Producing food via a 3D printer just became a reality with the introduction of The Magic Candy Factory printer at Dylan’s Candy Bar. Katjes Fassin is the UK-based firm responsible for creating the machine it introduced in Berlin last year. Equipped with plug-and-play software, the printer is the fastest in the segment, producing custom candy in approximately five minutes.
The Magic Candy Factory printer offers customers the ability to create personalized candy from over 100 different designs, as well as printing greetings on gummy cards. The candy design costs $20 per print; the gummies are gluten and dairy free and are made with vegetable-based gelling agents in lieu of gelatin.
The implications of food printing technology are yet unknown for major food producers, but it could play a role in the future of direct-to-consumer e-commerce. “For the confectionery industry, the Magic Candy Factory printer is a major innovative jump, giving consumers the chance to buy fruit gums they create themselves,” says Bastian Fassin, managing director of Katjes Fassin GmbH & Co.
The technology is based on fused deposition modeling, where a mixture of natural vegan ingredients is heated up and then applied using a nozzle to produce different shapes and combinations. The shapes were developed by the Katjes UK team with the help of 3D modeling software created by Sur 3D and turned into G-code instructions that tell the printer where, at what speed and what frequency it needs to apply each of the layers. The 3D printing hardware is produced by California-based printrbot.
For more information:
Katjes Magic Candy Factory, 772-633-8337, pr@magiccandyfactory.com, www.magiccandyfactory.com.
