Chocolate is a $50 billion market worldwide, and over half of Americans say that chocolate is their absolute favorite flavor. With the demand for more exciting designs and ways of presenting chocolate ever increasing, more and more people are searching for the best chocolate 3D printers to create their own luxury treats.
Quick Overview
Name | Speed | Max Print Volume (mm) | Price | Where to buy for the best price |
---|---|---|---|---|
FoodBot S2 | 15-70 mm/s | 150 x 150 x 73 | $2,100 | 3DPrintersOnlineStore here |
WiiBoox Sweetin | 15-70 mm/s | 90 x 90 x 70 | $1,599 | Amazon here |
Zmorph VX | 120 mm/s | 235 x 250 x 165 | $4,299 | Amazon here |
Mmuse Touchscreen Chocolate 3D printer | 30-60 mm/s | 160 x 120 x 150 | $5,700 | 3DPrintersOnlineStore here |
The Best Chocolate 3D Printers – Reviews
1. FoodBot S2
- Price: Check price at Amazon here
- Max print volume: 150 x 150 x 73 mm
- Chocolate 3D printing speed: 15 – 70 mm/s
- Accuracy: 100 microns
As well as chocolate, the FoodBot S2 can also print biscuit, jam and toffee for a variety of 3D printable food projects. You will immediately notice the marvelous design; the futuristic, sci-fi build and colors will really bring your kitchen into the 22nd century.
It’s designed to be super simple to print with, featuring a 5.2-inch touchscreen and clear UI. It can print between 15mm/s and 70mm/s depending on the intricacy and model detail — print at the lower end if you want more precision for your chocolate prints.
The 100-micron accuracy is more than enough for most small chocolate prints, and you can switch the nozzles out depending on your printing priorities between 0.3 and 1.5 mm sizes. The FoodBot S2 comes with its own 3D slicer software so you don’t need to worry about installing any other software if you’re a beginner.
It’s hygienic — the food filament never actually touches the printer — and easy to clean as you only need to clean the nozzle.
2. WiiBoox Sweetin
- Cost: Check price at Amazon here
- Print volume: 90 x 90 x 70 mm
- Speed: 15 – 70 mm/s
- Accuracy: 100 microns
The WiiBoox Sweetinhas 100-micron accuracy, which is fine for all but the most minuscule details. It prints with a 0.6mm nozzle, and comes with its own slicer, though you can use other slicers with it if you prefer.
Some customers online have recommended leaving the chocolate prints to stand for around 10 mins after printing before trying to remove them, giving the chocolate extra time to cool and solidify.
3. ZMorph Fab Full Set with Thick Paste Extruder
- Price: $3,999 for the Full Set — Available on Matterhackers here
- Maximum print volume: 235 x 250 x 165 mm
- Thick paste extruder add-on: costs an extra $250 here
The Zmorph Fab is much more than just a 3D printer, able to transform into a CNC router, laser engraver, or a chocolate 3D printer. When purchasing the printer, if you buy the Full Set version you get both the single and dual extruder 3D printer versions, the CNC and laser tools, and a thick paste extruder. If you only want a chocolate 3D printer, you can buy the basic Zmorph Fab model and then buy just the thick paste extruder for $250.
The thick paste extruder can print chocolate as well as sweet materials like icing and cookie dough. The great thing about the Zmorph Fab is that since it’s built to be an accurate FDM 3D printer system, all the precision carries over to chocolate 3D printing. It’s stable, and with up to 50-micron layer resolution you’ll have no trouble printing extremely intricate chocolate structures. It is recommended to only use this for smaller, wide prints rather than tall and thin chocolates.
For those looking for a chocolate 3D printer for commercial opportunities, this won’t be the chocolate 3D printer for you. It’s strictly for home use — Zmorph don’t certify that the printer’s chocolate and other food prints are eatable, so be wary of this. The thick paste extruder is, however, still a fun add-on for families at home making fun chocolate designs together, and for a $250 add-on (the Full Set with CNC mill and laser engraver is far more expensive altogether), it’s a nice extra to have.
If you were in the market for an FDM 3D printer anyway and feel 3D printing food and chocolate would be a fun bonus, then the Zmorph may be an ideal choice for you.
4. Mmuse Touchscreen Chocolate 3D
- Price: $5,700 — Available on 3DPrintersOnlineStore here
- Print volume: 160 x 120 x 150 mm
- Speed: 30 – 60 mm/s
A specialist chocolate 3D printer with a larger maximum print size and slightly higher speeds, the Mmuse is perfect if you’ve got the budget. A premium machine, it is not sold as a 3D printer, but a chocolate-making experience.
It’s designed with simplicity in mind. You can 3D print chocolate models via USB, SD card, or by WiFi. Additionally, the Mmuse chocolate 3D printer’s “intelligent temperature control technology” keeps a very closely regulated temperature to ensure chocolate is extruded at the perfect consistency — neither too liquid that it loses shape, nor too solid that it struggles to extrude properly.
It comes fully assembled and ready to go, no DIY skills necessary. The sleek touchscreen makes getting started super simple, and the 3D printer’s nozzle is designed with hygiene in mind and is very easy to replace. If you’re a professional chocolatier and want to start making beautiful chocolate creations, this best suited for you.
How Chocolate 3D Printing Works
Chocolate 3D printers work very similarly to standard FDM 3D printers, depositing melted chocolate layer-by-layer to create a finished chocolate piece. Just instead of filament, chocolate printers use plastic cartridges filled with chocolate deposited by a syringe.
The chocolate 3D printing process is almost identical to FDM:
- Design or download the 3D STL file model you want to print in chocolate.
- Import the model into a 3D slicer and slice it with your chosen print settings.
- Start printing on your chocolate 3D printer as you would an FDM printer.
The chocolate is heated to a specific temperature before being deposited through the print head. This exact temperature must be maintained so the chocolate is not so liquid that it loses shape once it has been printed, and not so solid that it can’t form the required shape.
The chocolate cartridges and syringes are designed so there is no contact with the outside world prior to printing. This ensures the printers are hygienic, clean, and printing is efficient.
It is recommended to use models that are quite small, and models without overhangs. If you’re printing a complex, intricate chocolate model, reduce your speed to allow the chocolate more time to dry and harden before the next layer is deposited.
The main difference between 3D printing, and the standard form of producing chocolate using molds, is that with 3D printing you can create more intricate shapes that are not possible using molds. 3D printed chocolate models can have hollow sections, whereas you can’t do this when pouring melted chocolate into a mold.
Advantages and Disadvantages vs Standard Chocolate Production
Benefits
- Very accurate and intricate chocolate shapes and designs.
- Great for business events and other business applications, as well as having fun with your family. For example, you could print a limited run of 6 chocolates with your client’s brands on them, and send them as a thank-you gift. Or, hand out custom chocolates during a pitch.
Limitations
- Slow to print chocolates: they can sometimes take upwards of an hour each to print. It is not scalable, or competitive with factory production using molds.
- Temperature needs to be maintained very carefully or the chocolate loses some of its properties, either becoming too liquid and losing shape, or becoming too hard and creating extruding problems.
- Different types of chocolate have different properties, requiring specific adjustments in print settings to avoid errors.
How Much Does a Chocolate Printer Cost?
The cheapest chocolate printers start at around $500, with most costing around the $1,500 mark. There are also some more premium machines designed for restaurants and other professional uses that cost around $5,000.
The costs depend on the printer size, resolution and quality of print, cost of the chocolate filament materials, how quickly it prints chocolate, and many other factors.
We also have similar articles covering:
- A general ranking of the best food 3D printers.
- Our complete guide to 3D printed meat.