3. History
First 3D printer invented in 1984
for industrial use
A project by Cornell University since 2005
the first 3D printer for food
the market for commercial 3D food printer opened up
The first 3D printing restaurant in the world: Food Ink
4. How it works
Design
food
• appearance
Materials
• Put the ingredients into the containers
Printing
• Most printers are deposition printers
• produce food by depositing ingredients layer by layer , bottom the top
Printing
• Printing methods : selective laser sintering, fused deposition modeling,
stereolithography etc.
Food
• Food is printed
5. Advantages
Food customization
designed according to user’s need and preference
e.g. the elderly with swallowing difficulties
e.g. adjusting nutrients in food
e.g.attract people to eat food that they dislike like vegetable
Allow creativity
Changing the shape or texture of food
Print beautiful sculptures and beautiful pieces
Alleviate the crisis of food shortage
using new ingredients e.g. insects to obtain nutrients
Simplify the process
avoid adverse effects on food
7. Futures
Biotechnology
Make artificial food
e.g.Modern Meadow: 3D printed meat by using cultured living
animal cells → cruelty-free & ↓ carbon footprint of stock raising & ↓
meat price
Promote sustainability
Replace ordinary ingredients with renewable one e.g. aglae
e.g.Netherland Organization for Applied Scientific Research
For space navigation
e.g.NASA: provide food supply to astronauts→ reduce weight,
space to store and time to prepare & food with sufficient nutrients
for long mission
9. From graph 1, more than 70% respondents have heard of ‘3D food
printer’ but none of them have tried printed food before (graph 2).3D
printing for food is not a new concept but have not become a part of
our daily life.
Survey Result
0%
100%
2.Have you even tried the food made by
3D food printers?
yes no
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
yes no
Do you know what is 3D food
printer?
yes
no
10. Most of the respondents (47.4%) did not tried because of high costs.Also there
are more than 20% of them had doubt about its safety,which indicate that the
commercial printers available to the public are few and public understanding
about it is limited.
Survey Result
16%
47%
0%
21%
16%
6.What is the reason you do not want to try the
food made by printers?
not interested in
high costs
dislike for its limited
texture/ingredient
doubt about its safety
conventional cooking is much better
than using food printers
11. More than 70% respondents believed 3D food printers were not at all likely to
replace chef. Although the functions and advantages of the 3d food printer
facilitate the cooking process , it is not enough to replace conventional
cooking.
Survey Result
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
not at all likely Extremely
likely
Do you think 3D food printer will replace chef in the
future?
12. Survey Result
More than half of the respondents(68.4%) say no which indicate that 3d
food printer cannot arouse people interest on cooking.
32%
68%
ARE YOU MORE INTERESTED IN COOKING
AFTER KNOWING 3D FOOD PRINTER?
yes
no
