[CES 2014] 3D printers have been making their way around the CES showfloor for a fair number of years now, but how many of them will actually be able to churn out stuff that can be chewed and swallowed? Enter the new range of Chefjet 3D printers that will launch later this year, where these machines will be able to print out food. Yes sir, a manna machine, so to speak. These 3D printers have the ability to make chocolate and sugar-based confectionery shaped in different ways that are pretty difficult to reproduce using traditional methods. The smaller model is known as the Chefjet, where it will be limited to monochrome creations, although the larger Chefjet Pro has the ability to create multi-colored objects.
The thing is, their entry cost could be particularly prohibitive to many, especially hobbyists, and this will most likely limit sales figures. For instance, the most basic model will cost approximately $5,000 (£3,000), while those who want to pick up the Chefjet Pro will have to fork out approximately double that amount. I can see chocolatiers looking for more and more complex designs, since no one is going to be impressed by the usual slab of chocolate any more in this day and age.