Back in 2011, researchers at the University of Exeter made headlines with a lab-made chocolate printer. This machine was eventually spun out of the lab into a full-blown company called Choc Edge which made the first commercial chocolate 3D printer. Since then, the company has gone through two iterations of its Choc Creator chocolate printer, releasing the Choc Creator 2.0 last year. Now, Choc Edge has announced their latest upgrade to tabletop chocolate 3D printer, the Choc Creator 2.0 Plus.
The Choc Creator 2.0 Plus, the company states, has been “designed from the ground up”. So, while it maintains its sleek appearance, the firm has reduced the size and weight of the machine. This makes the printer easier to transport, which I would think is essential for caterers and private chefs. The device is also meant to be more reliable and easier to use than its predecessors, relying on a 30ml stainless steel syringe and printhead to both ensure even heating throughout the head – “designed to print with absolutely no blocking” – and easy cleaning. Additionally, the platform has been made removable for cooling, without the need for a separate substrate.
Other improvements include an increase in build volume to 180 x 180 x 50mm and an LCD touch screen, freeing the Choc Creator from the fetters of your computer. With a USB drive, users can print directly from the printer. This demonstrates that, like FFF 3D printers now entering the second generation, the first commercial chocolate 3D printer is keeping up with technological innovations.
Having learned how customers are dealing with the previous versions of the Choc Creator, Choc Edge has realized how to improve the machine for their customers with features key to commercial chocolate printing. Choc Edge says “The new printer is perfect for long runs of logos, complex 2D designs and smaller 3D shapes – ideal for marketing companies producing corporate gifts, chocolate shops that produce personalised items, and any producer of food looking for a new way to add value to their products.”
The CC2.0 Plus will be released at the end of September with an early bird price of £1,665, available for purchase directly through the Choc Edge online shop or by contacting the company at [email protected]. This is nice price reduction from the previous model, bringing the Choc Creator more in line with other desktop printers on the market. It’s highly likely that the company will see an even bigger demand from consumers and small shops and just as the holidays begin to roll around.
