If your ice
cream could look like anything in the world, what would you choose? A new
machine could 3D print your ice cream in 15 minutes
theguardian.com,
Samuel Gibbs, Thursday 17 July 2014
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| MIT student project proves that 3D printing ice cream is a tasty possibility. Photograph: Kristine Bunker |
Three
students from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have hacked together
a 3D printer that can produce edible Mr Whippy-style ice cream in any shape.
Kyle
Hounsell, Kristine Bunker and David Donghyun Kim developed the contraption – a
modified version of an existing 3D printer connected to a “soft serve”
ice-cream machine – as part of a graduate project in MIT’s additive
manufacturing department.
“First, we
needed to print into a cooled environment so that the ice cream would hold its
shape once printed,” the students explained to 3Ders. “We bought a small
upright freezer which was large enough to both put the Solidoodle inside and
allow for the full build volume we were aiming for.”
Liquid
nitrogen cooling system
The
students built a cooling system using liquid nitrogen to fix the ice cream in
place as it was squirted out of the 3D printer’s nozzle into the desired shape.
The instant cooling allowed the printer to build up the ice cream layers just
as a traditional extrusion-based 3D printer squirts down layers of plastic.
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| The student's setup in the lab. Photograph: MIT |
“The main
reason we feel an ice cream 3D printer is an important addition to current
additive manufacturing technology is that it interests children,” the MIT
students explained.
The
students had to balance the accuracy and printing resolution of the printer to
enable interesting shapes and creations with the speed of printing, as no one
wants to wait 30 minutes for their ice cream to appear.
“We imagine
this technology being marketable in ice cream parlours such as Dairy Queen
where customers can order an ice cream treat, wait 15 minutes, and see the
shape they chose be created,” they said. “Of course last, and more importantly,
we aim to enjoy the ice cream after successful printing.”
The
proof-of-concept printer needs refinement before it is likely to see commercial
duty, but the technology could appear in an ice cream truck near you soon, if
the students or a third party decides to continue developing the system
further.
For now,
ice cream 3D printed into a star shape is entirely possible.
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