MIT students develop 3D printer that produces ice cream in any shape

A 3D printer developed by three students from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) can produce ice creams in any shape in just 15 minutes.

PTI reported  Kyle Hounsell, Kristine Bunker, and David Donghyun Kim put together a soft-serve ice cream maker, a freezer and a 3D printer, to create a machine that extrudes soft ice cream into any given shape, which is then quickly frozen with a blast of liquid nitrogen.

The students developed the contraption using the principles of a fused deposition model printer.

Bunker, one of the three students told 3ders.org that they were inspired to design the printer as they wanted to make something fun with the up and coming technology in a way that they could grab the attention of kids, IANS reported.

They felt it was just as important to come up with a new technology as it was to interest the younger generation in pursuing science and technology so they could continue pushing the limits of what was possible, Bunker added.

They first needed to print into a cooled environment so that the ice cream would hold its shape once printed.

They said they bought a small upright freezer which was large enough to both put the ingredients inside and allow for the full build volume they were aiming for.

The instant cooling allowed building up ice cream layers like a traditional 3D printer squirted down layers of plastic.

According to The Guardian, the students then had to balance the accuracy and printing resolution of the printer with the speed of printing, as a 30-minute wait for ice cream was too long for some.

According to another student they imagined the technology being marketable in ice cream parlours where customers could order an ice cream treat, wait 15 minutes, and see the shape they chose being created in front of their eyes.