Strategy in 3D Printing of Food

Abstract

Additive manufacturing was developed in the 1980s and for a long time, it had limited applications. In recent years additive manufacturing has found increasing uses in a variety of industries such as the medical field and the construction industry. One industry in particular that has received increasing attention is that of 3D printing food. One of the parties that is interested in this is NASA as 3D printing improves the ability for space exploration. In this study, we examine the current technological developments in the 3D food printing industry. The focus is on describing the main technologies that are applied in this industry, the materials that are being printed, and the main companies and business strategy. It is concluded that the industry is very young and that most of the commercialization is based on the application of only one of the seven additive manufacturing technologies.