Almost everybody knows that 3D-printers can print anything you want. Some people want a snack, and they prefer chocolate. This is not something impossible anymore. Most modern 3D-printers as the main material used plastics because it melts at relatively low temperatures and is easily deformed.

Scientists at the University of Exeter (England) have noticed that chocolate has similar properties. These considerations led them to build a computer-controlled 3D-printer that prints with chocolate. Of course, not everything went smooth, working with chocolate was a bit more complicated. It is not as flexible, so pouring it through a standard feeder was difficult, and maintaining a stable form of the printed prototype was not easy, too. To fix these issues, the authors developed intelligent systems of heating and cooling, rather complicated and expensive to maintain. This makes the idea of 3D-printers chocolate machines going into mass production unrealistic in the nearest future. However, the service of printing chocolate figurines, whether it’s household items or jewelry, might well arise. Girls will definitely appreciate a chocolate necklace for Valentine’s Day!