The Eight-Armed Choctopus Chocolate 3D Printer in Action

Using eight extruders, he fashioned himself a chocolate making assembly line, allowing him to create custom chocolates at eight times the speed.  Hans tells me that his device is not just about printing sweets, but demonstrating the possibility of batch manufacturing with a 3D printer. He says, “It shows that one can mass produce things with modified 3d printers! And that machine have been running for 19 years now! 3D Printed chocolates have been done for 19 yeas, so printing 8 lawnmowers at the same time? Not to laugh at any more!”

Though, in these videos, you’ll see the octopus printing out two dimensional cake decorations, but Hans has printed in 3D chocolate, as well.  Hans’ 3D printed all of the works of digital artists featured in Android and Nestle’s Chocnology exhibit in South Africa two years back.  While they were printed on his RapMan 3D printer, he did once have a Z-axis on his Choctopus.  That feature has since been retired.  So, if you do find yourself buying a ChocEdge or CocoJet 3D printer, you may be able to turn to Hans and Fouche Chocolates for advice.  And, who knows, maybe Hans will sell you one of his Choctopus machines himself!