3D chocolate printer made from LEGO

Using lego and a few custom components a 3D printer for chocolate is possible. I did this project a long time ago so the documentation is incomplete, but hopefully it will inspire someone to rebuild it and fill in the blanks.

Step 1: Make a chocolate extruder.

These were my first rough plans for a chocolate extruder. Powdered chocolate into a heated barrel, lego worm screws as the slurry pump through an ejection nozzle.

Comments

[fluctuat]

Ok this is pretty genius, but what about 3D objects? Does the chocolate stay hot for too long? How about a cooling fan after the drip nozzle? Ultimately I think printing a chocolate bunny would be the benchmark for this awesome machine.

[maxiwatt]

other option: http://www.maxiwatt.com/eng/durawatt.php

[captain Jack]

Show me the Money!!! (ie- tasty chocolate results!)

[ProCactus]

what does it do?

If someone makes a chocolate printer, You would think they had an example.
Maybe" Step 10 - Lets build some chocolate stuff!" is not finished?

[geckomage]

haha, i was just using my labs 3d printer and then saw this article so i figured i'd give it a read :) support material would be hard to do for this one :( i use a special type of plastic that desolves in a special acid bath and leaves the structural material behind :)

[dscott4]

Hey there,

I would love to see your project in the 3D print group I have just started!!!!

http://www.instructables.com/group/3Dprint/

[NE patsrock]

u should add a vid to show how it works

[bgepp1]

omg - smh - pfa (pretty friggin awesome) - this is sweeeeeet!

[njolley]

Great Instructable - well done! For those who are interested beyond lego, head to Makerbot Industries for a frosting extruder and RepRap for a plastic extruder to bolt onto this lego design. I'm going to put this extruder on my cnc project!!!!!

[twighahn]

this seems to be a lego version of the bag extruder that all bakers use

[I am a doofus]

the new Nxt is out so you cound make vary good chocolate sculptures

[TacoTormentor]

ESPECIALLY since is has 1 degree accurate servos!

[kiamokh]

can someone help me

[TacoTormentor]

yes

[jantine]

You win. I'm not going to build it, because i am too lazy to do so, but it is awesomely cool that you did.

[roland985]

100% pure win. Yum, This is my summer project.

[hanelyp]

A few points:
- A PID controller strikes me as overkill for the heating control, but if you have one ready on hand it works.
- This should work well with wax or other low melting point materials instead of chocolate.
- A second nozzle laying down powdered sugar filler between the chocolate could allow more flexible designs.

[Dude567]

Where did you get your lego worm gears

[qwertyboy]

bricklink.com

[darthpotato1]

i know for sure that you can get some in the starwars ships with opening wings, maybe you can find some in technix sets (i think thats what they are called anyways)

[scistone]

Yea, get them in tecknic sets, almost all of 'em have worm gears

:D

[er0401]

Omg u should submit this to Lego magazine and see if they'll let an adults cool creation be entered! :)

[9ale7]

did i miss the wiring step of the CNC motors?
or was it manual not using any motors in the X Y axis?
( in the video it looks like a cnc)

[freerunnin1]

isn't the frame work that znaps stuff?, iv'e got some somewhere... im planning on using an old hp printer and exchanging the ink for a feeding chamber for the stuff that will print out the 3d model, not sure what yet maybe sugar or something...

[9ale7]

worth the try, we all have old printers sitting there doing nothing,
but i worry about the programing?!
any idea?? even to be used in CNC???

[mary candy]

great!!!

[930913]

Awsome- great job. I liked the comment idea of a lego printer that prints legos hahaha. GJ

[whiteboipumas]

wat is this supposed to do? make shapes of chocoalate?

[930913]

*sigh*

[mtownsend]

Siiiiiigh. I am way too young to be out of it. When I read the title i thought you were going to be printing ON chocolate. Like for eating. I really felt stupid when I realized what was actually happening here.

[PaulMakesThings]

If you just want to print on food, cake shops do it all the time, they used printers that are retrofitted to dispense food coloring. Somone should figure out how they do that and make an instructable on it.

[dabombmaker]

same kinda pissed it isnt actually

[northantrim]

Phew! Was worried I was the only one who thought that =D

[MillenniumMan]

You're disappointed that you thought it was to print ON chocolate as opposed to printing a 3D chocolate object? Printing on is thousands of times easier than what this guy did. This thing is only a step below a 3D prototype printer, but it's better because you can eat what comes out of this :D *drooooooooool* Now, if you can only convert this to use liquid polymers. You can make a lego machine that makes legos:)

[knex_mepalm]

 You mean like a von newmann machine?

[sethcim]

What was the chocolate recipe?

[benthekahn]

I think I am going to attempt this with NXT! *insert dramatic music*

[darthpotato1]

oooooooOOOOOOoooohhhh, you should make that an instructable because i have the NXT but i don't have those weird archway pieces.

[casey321b]

DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUNNNNN

[conrad2468]

you mean "dramatic prairie dog music"