I have a little 3D printer. It's a lot of fun to build little toys and parts, but the problem with these toys and parts is that you can't (safely or enjoyably) eat them. I realized with correct settings and a few food-grade parts (Teflon coated extrusion tip, glass plate bed, food-safe Bowden tube) there's no reason you couldn't substitute cheese for plastic. The only item missing is an appropriate form factor for dairy products.

The idea is 1kg spools of 1.75mm diameter cheese. Mozzarella is likely the easiest to melt, but a sharp cheddar would have better mechanical strength.
-- Worldgineer, Jan 31 2019

High speed fabbing https://www.science.../01/190111143736.ht
[not_morrison_rm, Jan 31 2019]

Machinable Cheese Machinable_20Cheese
Complementary technology [8th of 7, Feb 01 2019]

Cheese_20Cloth (see [beanangel]'s annotation) [hippo, Feb 01 2019]

Liquorish 3D printer The_20Delicious_20S...ot_20of_20Liquorice
[xenzag, Feb 01 2019]

You could do the Michigan University ultra-fast fabber, using two lights to control where the plastic hardens.

In your case two intersecting microwave beams speed- drying the water out of the cheese, with a pass of some cold gas to set the cheese. Link.
-- not_morrison_rm, Jan 31 2019


Why not use pasta dough?
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 31 2019


I've seen a video (or, the video was inflicted upon me) of a 3D printer using spray "cheese" as its medium. The results were not structurally sound.

Perhaps parmesan powder could be fused in an SLS process.
-- mitxela, Jan 31 2019


I was going to suggested 3d ice cream printers once but looked it up and somebody had done it at MIT or someplace.

3D printed food could absolutely be a thing, the only trouble is you have to compete with molds that are really cheap and fast.
-- doctorremulac3, Jan 31 2019


Mmmmm... 3D printed ice cream. I'm thinking some kind of ice cream cloud with very low infill and melts in your mouth the second you take a bite...

Back to the idea. 3D printing cheese absolutely wouldn't compete with molded cheese (eew). I imagine anything from fun little cheese statues to 3-dimensional sandwiches (when combined with Max's dough).
-- Worldgineer, Jan 31 2019


Could be combined with <link>.
-- 8th of 7, Feb 01 2019


Mmm, super preservative loaded cheese sculptures. I don't think I would trust the cleaniness by just swapping to the food grade parts. A deep wash would be needed. Maybe a dedicated printer might be more judicious.
-- wjt, Feb 02 2019


I'm sure a judicious printer would be more dedicated.
-- pertinax, Feb 03 2019


Ultimate goal: “Alexa, make me a grilled cheese sandwich in the shape of a cow.”
-- Worldgineer, Feb 07 2019



random, halfbakery