Quote Originally Posted by curious aardvark View Post
For me, I think food is the most interesting - if because it's the one I'm most sceptical about.
I'm a good cook, so watching a machine make something in an hour I could do in 10 minutes, seems daft.
I think you missed the point a little too

Its not about what the printer can do in an hour that you could do in 10 minutes. Its all about what the printer can do, that you can't do without the printer THAT is the key here.

Could you carve a detailed chocolate wedding cake topper that looks exactly like the actual bride and groom? I darn sure couldn't. But a 3D printer capable of extruding chocolate could! It would be easy and profitable. The 3d scan could be done at the same time as the wedding photos are taken, they are posed and lit already aren't they? So, imagine someone working with the photographer to produce the 3D scan of the couple. Then maybe scan the lace on her dress or veil close up. Imagine printing that exact pattern of lace out of fondant for the tiers on the wedding cake. The wedding industry is a money making machine from the planners, to the coordinators, catering, cake makers, photographers and locations. They are all making bank. 3D printing services could tap into that big time since they can produce something that would be either impossible or extremely costly without a 3D printer. Imagine a cake maker being able to offer something like that while their competitors can't yet. If that isn't incentive for innovation, then I don't know what is.

How about printing melted isomalt? Again, custom produced candy and decorations for weddings, birthdays and sweet 16's. There's a lot of daddys out there willing to drop cash for whatever their sweetie wants on her 16th. And if you had that printer, YOU could make money with it helping her daddy giver her anything she can dream up! And what about printing custom sugar glasses? Thats possible if we could harness melted isomalt. Businesses, bars, CEOs would love custom glasses for their next black tie event with their company or business logo right on the glasses that you can eat!

Or how about an awesome bust of Aaron Rodgers (QB from Green Bay) printed out of chedder cheese for your nacho tray at your next super bowl party? Hey, caterers, yall listening? Money to be made here!

These things CAN happen. And I am betting dollars to doughnuts that someone is or has been working on those things or ones just like them.

There is a ChefJet printer but its not an extrusion type printer and only does sugar prints AFAIK. So, its a start.