Sugar Printer Creates 3D Cake Toppers

3D Printing & Imaging Food & Beverage
Sugar Printer Creates 3D Cake Toppers

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Husband-and-wife architectural designers Kyle and Liz offer a 3D sugar printing service, and create rather beautiful geometric shapes out of sugar.

The Sugar Lab started when we were graduate students. We wanted to make our friend Chelsea a birthday cake, but we didn’t have an oven, so we decided to try to 3D print a cake instead. After a period of trial and error that lasted well beyond her actual birthday, we managed to print Chelsea a tiny cupcake topper that spelled her name in cursive sugar. She loved it! We thought other people might like 3D printed sugar, too, so when we graduated, we started The Sugar Lab officially, in our studio here in Silver Lake.

I was disappointed that Kyle and Liz didn’t share any details of their printer. If you’re looking for a more open (if far less active) sugar-printing project, be sure to check out EMSL’s CandyFab. [via Hacked Gadgets]

10 thoughts on “Sugar Printer Creates 3D Cake Toppers

  1. Ross Radford says:

    Now THAT is innovative! I love it, love it, love it.

  2. ANders says:

    I think its sad to se someone not wanting to talk about how they are making something especially on sites like this.

    Shame on them.

  3. yetihehe says:

    Resolution, overhangs and lack of carmelization suggests this printer binds sugar with water.

    1. Ross Radford says:

      Yeah, I’ll go with that. Perhaps they are using a bed with a granulated or powdered sugar base, a printing head that deposits water or some other type of binder, and a leveling arm that brushes layer after layer of new sugar on top of modeled part while it is lowered down each time; almost like a combination of fused deposition modeling and selective laser sintering. Just a guess…

  4. Sugar Printer Creates 3D Cake Toppers Charlie says:

    After some research, they use an alcohol and water mix; but they give no clues as to how it is applied.

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My interests include writing, electronics, RPGs, scifi, hackers & hackerspaces, 3D printing, building sets & toys. @johnbaichtal nerdage.net

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