3D printing has potential applications in food manufacturing by allowing for customized nutrition, novel food shapes and structures, and on-demand local production. Direct printing techniques like extrusion can be used to build food layers, while mold printing involves casting more liquid ingredients. Examples include NASA exploring 3D printed food for astronauts and companies developing individualized nutritional meals. 3D printing offers opportunities for product differentiation, customized diets, and simplified distribution. However, challenges remain around regulations, food safety, and expanding the range of ingredients that can be 3D printed.

1. 3D printing in the
world of food
A Great Day for Food Innovation
Danish Food Cluster
17. marts 2016
Alan Friis, Proprietor TECH4BIZZ

3. Setting the frame – 3D print technology
• Additive manufacturing or 3D-printing (the same thing)
– 3D computer model – if we can model we can produce it
• Eliminate manual assembly by integrating functionality
– Reduced labour, less need of quality control
• Reduced storage – production on-demand
• More lean and iterative approach to design
– Reduce design and commercial uncertainty

4. 3D-print is not merely …
• A smarter way to produce complex components
• A highly flexible production technology
• A technology, which allows production of unseen shapes
• A method for structural optimization
• A method for weight reduction
• An in some cases cheaper production technology

5. Optimization based on 3D-print …
• Improved efficiency
• Increased creativity
• Shortened time from idea to market (or to money)
• Economically feasible local production
• Improved sustainability
• New business models
• Cheaper customized solutions
• Reduced uncertainty in design and commercial value

6. Looking back a few years
• A McKinsey survey of leading manufacturers (2014) showed
• 40% unfamiliar with additive-manufacturing “beyond press
coverage”
• An additional 12 % indicated that they thought 3-D printing might
be relevant but needed to learn more
• Many admitted their companies were ill prepared to undertake a
cross-organizational effort to identify the opportunities
• 2/3 said that their companies lacked a formal, systematic way to
catalogue and prioritize emerging technologies in general

7. 3-D printing relevance (2014)

8. The reality of 3D printing …
• High potential for market penetration
• Is at a tipping point towards going mainstream in a bug way
• Rethink strategy and operations - supply, manufacture, retail
• The factors that have made Asia the workshop of the world will
lose much of their force - minimizes the key cost i.e. labour
• Create unprecedented efficiencies of scale
• Production speed is improving – new replacements possible

9. 3D print in the world of food
• Replicate traditional foods and produce
novel foods
• Is niche – but offers a new play ground
• Custom nutrition can be accomplished
limited by ingredient availability
• Shape stability can be achieved through
processing steps and the use of additives
• More technology development is needed for
personal food printing to be a success

10. 3D print in the world of food - examples

11. 3D print technology relevant for food
• Direct printing (extrusion or binder jetting)
– Growing layer by layer (as known from plastic / metals etc.)
• Mold printing (simpler)
– Casting more liquid materials

12. Approaches for direct printing of food
• Extrusion
• Binder jetting
sugar crystals +
binding agent a
mixture of water
and alcohol

13. Robocasting 3D printer for food (direct)
Different materials
can be deposited

14. Food Products
&
The supply chain
Only food
manufacturing &
supply chain
-----------------------------

15. Examples
• Path II, supply chain evolution: NASA’s work investigating ways to
improve astronauts’ life-support system, which include feeding the crew
during long deep-space missions
• Path III, product evolution: altering structure, design and consumption
experience. German company Biozoon aims to provide individualized
nutritional meals with a jelly-like texture that resembles solid food but is
dissolvable in the mouth for an easier swallow using 3D print
• Path IV, business model evolution: Hershey’s, has been testing the
waters of 3D printing: In partnership with 3D Systems, the company
has stationed an extrusion printer in the company’s “Chocolate World”

16. Customization – to a new degree
• Personalization creates closer relations to the costumer
• Customisation to order – the new production philosophy
• Higher value in production of small customized series
• Shorter time-to-market / personalization / local production
– Local Motors
– Manufacture of clothing
• Not merely for a few components, but re-thinking of the entire
product development, production and functionality

17. Disruptive technologies e.g. 3D-print
Average costs adv -
comparable tech
Degree og scale
3D print From 40.000$ (2007)
to 100$ (2014)
400x in 7 years
Industrial robots From 500.000$ (2008)
to 22.000$ (2013)
23x in 5 years
Drones From 100.000$ (2007)
to 700$ (2013)
142x in 6 years
Sensors From 20.000$ (2009)
to 79$ (2014)
250x in 5 years
Biotech From 10mio $ (2007)
to 1000$ (2011)
10.000x in 7 years
Medical (full body
scan)
From 10.000$ (2000)
to 500$ (2014)
20x in 14 years

18. The exponential component in 3D-print
• Is based on a digital representation of a product
• Has been called the third industrial revolution
• Adapts to costumer needs and co-creation is straight forward
• Production of brand new products – for new markets
• The value chain is changed fundamentally and business is
relies on new ’parameters’
• The types of materials, which can be printed explodes (plastic,
metal, ceramics, concrete, food, biological substances, …)

19. How to operationalize …
• Innovation from all corners of the value field - partnerships
– Focus on the end product or the ’job’
• The ability to operationalize with the given resources
– A possibility is theoretical, if not utilized
• The ’new’ is that any one can change the rules of the game
– Requires imagination and often lack of domain specific
knowledge – there are lower entry barriers
– New products / new value creation / new solutions to needs
• If you don’t do it yourself someone else will

20. The reality of 3D print in food
• Challenges
– Regulation and food safety/shelf life
– Ingredient limitations
• Applications and the wow factor (or lack here of)
– 3D print in food is not be as hype as in medical and biotech
– 3D print will revolutionize food production
• perhaps in ways unforeseen today

21. Initial adoption in food …
• Will come from those companies focused on
– Product differentiation & product customization
– Direct-to-consumer relationships
– fill consumers’ unique dietary needs
– simplify distribution to hard-to-reach locations
• AM will penetrate markets from
– small local bakeries to multinational food distributors
– restaurants and hospitality businesses will find applications
• The decision is which tactical path to follow
– depend on company strategy
– driven by product mix
– distribution models and the decisions of value-chain partners

22. Thank you for listening 

23. References
• Deloitte http://dupress.com/articles/3d-printing-in-the-food-
industry/?id=us:2sm:3li:dup1147:eng:dup:070715:3dopp
• Additive manufacturing for the food industry, J.I. Lipton, M.
Cutler, F. Nigl, D. Cohen, H. Lipton Trends in Food Science &
Technology 43 (2015) 114-123