What is 3D printing food?

Unfortunately at present it is not simply the case that you draw a hamburger on screen, press print and you instantly get your specially crafted hamburger with extra pickles, onion rings and your own specially drawn special sauce.

However what is currently possible is to take an edible item like dough or pasta and use a 3D printer in order to create designs using those printers in order to create items that you can cook for yourself.

How does 3D printing food work?

3D printing food works in a similar way to 3D printing with materials like metal or rubber in that lasers are used to create layers that join together a final item. However the challenge with using food is that because different items of food cook at different temperatures and the nature of the material means the shapes may not join together as effectively as plastic or rubber.

Currently 3D food printers are used to craft the food. For example it is ideal if you run a catering firm and you want to make identical muffins, pasta shapes or bread. At present the machines available do not cook the food at the same time although these are said to be in development at the moment as well.

So in short 3D printing food at the moment is a bit short of instantly creating food from your computer. However there is a lot of potential with the technology we have at present- easier portion control, more aesthetically pleasing designs and quicker serving times could all have a big impact on the efficiency of food production as well as allowing more style and innovation at the same time.