Imagine a candy machine that could whip up any concoction you desire. While a chocolate factory on the scale of Willy Wonka and his river of chocolate might still be out of the picture, 3D printing technology is now making it possible to turn anything into mouth-watering chocolate.
Hershey's is taking its Cocojet 3D Printer on tour to showcase the endless possibilities of chocolate 3D printing. The 3D printer, for example, can enable sweethearts to send tiny, detailed figurines of each other rather than a box of heart-shaped chocolate on Valentine's Day.
According to reports, Hershey's partnered with 3D Systems to perfect the technology inside the Cocojet 3D Printer to make it able to spew out anything in chocolate that you could with plastic. Hershey’s tech marketing exec, Jeff Mundt, explained that theirs is the most advanced chocolate 3D printer today.
“It looks very similar to a standard 3D Systems printer but it’s heavily modified,” he said.
3D Systems, as well, is excited to explore this partnership with Hershey's further.
“We are committed to democratizing 3D printing, making this game-changing technology accessible and engaging for everyone... This is a great way to showcase the power and possibilities of 3D printing,” said Chuck Hull, 3D Systems' Chief Technology Officer said in a statement.
The Chocolate 3D Printer will make its debut at the Hershey's Chocolate World Attraction on Dec. 19. During the exhibit, customers will be able to interact with the chocolate printer via iPads and have a chance to see what some 3D models would look like printed in chocolate. Scientists will also be on hand to answer any questions about the technology that went into creating this advance chocolate 3D printer and other sugar and candy 3D printing techniques.
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