ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PRINTING CUSTOMIZED CHOCOLATE CONFECTIONS

• US 20120251688A1
• Filed: 03/28/2012
• Published: 10/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Barry Callebaut AG (Jacobs Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Inventors: Walczyk, Daniel F., Crump, S. Scott, Batchelder, J. Samuel, Zimmerman, Aidan
• Granted Patent: US 9,215,882 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/383
• CPC Class Codes: A21C 15/002 Apparatus for spreading granular material on, or sweeping or coating the surface of baked articles of pieces of dough A21C9/04; for confectionary A23G3/28
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 1/0066 Processes for laying down material in moulds or drop-by-drop on a surface, optionally with the associated heating, cooling, portioning, cutting cast-tail, anti-drip processes
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 1/042 Manufacture or treatment of liquid, cream, paste, granule, shred or powder
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 1/18 Apparatus for conditioning chocolate masses for moulding
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 1/205 Apparatus in which the material is shaped at least partially in a mould, in the hollows of a surface, a drum, an endless band or by drop-by-drop casting or dispensing of the material on a surface, e.g. injection moulding, transfer moulding
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 1/206 Apparatus for laying down material in moulds or drop-by-drop on a surface, optionally with the associated heating, cooling, portioning, cutting cast-tail, anti-drip device
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 1/50 characterised by shape, structure or physical form, e.g. products with an inedible support liquid products, solid products in the form of powders, flakes or granules for making liquid products A23G1/56
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 3/0097 Decorating sweetmeats or confectionery
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 3/28 Apparatus for decorating sweetmeats or confectionery
• CPC Class Codes: A23P 20/15 Apparatus or processes for coating with liquid or semi-liquid products
• CPC Class Codes: A23P 2020/253 Coating food items by printing onto them; Printing layers of food products
• CPC Class Codes: A23P 30/20 Extruding
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor

Abstract

An additive manufacturing system for printing a chocolate confection, the system comprising a platen, a recirculation loop configured to circulate a flow of a chocolate material, and further configured to maintain a temper of the chocolate material; and a print head the print head being configured to receive at least a portion of the chocolate material from the recirculation loop, and further configured to extrude and deposit the chocolate material onto the platen to print at least a portion of the chocolate confection based on the commands from a controller.

Claims

1. An additive manufacturing system for printing a chocolate confection, the additive manufacturing system comprising:

at least one controller configured to receive instructions for printing the chocolate confection, and further configured to relay commands relating to the received instructions;

a platen;

a recirculation loop configured to circulate a flow of a chocolate material, and further configured to maintain a temper of the chocolate material; and

a print head in signal communication with the at least one controller, the print head being configured to receive at least a portion of the chocolate material from the recirculation loop, and further configured to extrude and deposit the chocolate material onto the platen to print at least a portion of the chocolate confection based on the commands from the at least one controller.

2. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1, wherein the recirculation loop comprises:

a shear tank configured to heat and shear the chocolate material; and

a pump configured pump the flow of the chocolate material from the sheer tank to the print head.

3. The additive manufacturing system of claim 2, wherein the shear tank is maintained at a set point temperature ranging from about 82°

F. to about 90°

F.

4. The additive manufacturing system of claim 2, wherein the shear tank is configured to receive a cartridge of tempered solid chocolate material.

5. The additive manufacturing system of claim 2, wherein the recirculation loop further comprises a re-melter configured to heat at least a portion of the chocolate material in the recirculation loop to a temperature above a melting temperature of the chocolate material.

6. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1, wherein the recirculation loop is configured to re-temper at least a portion of the flowing chocolate material in a batch operation.

7. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1, and further comprising a gantry mechanism configured to move the print head along at least one axis relative to the platen.

8. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1, and further comprising a platen gantry configured to move the platen with at least five degrees of freedom.

9. A chocolate extrusion assembly for use in an additive manufacturing system, the chocolate extrusion assembly comprising:

a reservoir configured to shear and heat a chocolate material to a temperature ranging from about 82°

F. to about 90°

F. to provide a flowable chocolate material;

a pump configured to pump the flowable chocolate material from the reservoir;

a print head configured to receive the pumped flowable chocolate material, and further configured to extrude a first portion of the received chocolate material;

a heating line configured to heat the pumped flowable chocolate material as the pumped flowable chocolate material flows through the pump to the print head; and

a re-melter configured to receive a second portion of flowable chocolate material from the print head and to direct the second portion of flowable chocolate material to the reservoir, wherein the re-melter is further configured to heat the second portion of the flowable chocolate material to fully melt the second portion of the flowable chocolate material.

10. The chocolate extrusion assembly of claim 9, wherein the temperature that the reservoir is configured to heat the chocolate material to ranges from about 85°

F. to about 87°

F.

11. The chocolate extrusion assembly of claim 9, wherein the heating line is configured to heat the pumped flowable chocolate material to a temperature ranging from about 87°

F. to about 89°

F.

12. The chocolate extrusion assembly of claim 9, wherein the re-melter is configured to heat the second portion of the flowable chocolate material to a temperature ranging from about 100°

F. to about 110°

F.

13. The chocolate extrusion assembly of claim 9, and further comprising a conduit interconnecting the pump and the print head, the conduit being configured to relay the pumped flowable chocolate material from the pump to the print head, and wherein the heating line comprises an outer tube encasing at least a portion of a length of the conduit, the outer tube being configured to relay a heated fluid to the print head.

14. The chocolate extrusion assembly of claim 9, and further comprising a temper meter configured to monitor a viscosity of the pumped flowable chocolate material.

15. A method for printing a chocolate confection, the method comprising:

shearing and heating a chocolate material in a reservoir to a temperature ranging from about 82°

F. to about 90°

F. to provide a flowable chocolate material;

pumping the flowable chocolate material from the reservoir to a print head;

heating the pumped flowable chocolate material between the reservoir and the print head;

extruding a first portion of the pumped flowable chocolate material from the print head to print at least a portion of the chocolate confection using a layer-based additive manufacturing technique;

recirculating a second portion of the flowable chocolate material from the print head; and

heating the recirculating second portion of the flowing chocolate material to fully liquefy the second portion of the flowing chocolate material.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the temperature that the chocolate material is heated to in the reservoir ranges from about 85°

F. to about 87°

F.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein pumping the flowable chocolate material from the reservoir to the print head comprises pumping the flowable chocolate material from a pump through a conduit that interconnects the pump and the print head, and wherein heating the pumped flowable chocolate material between the reservoir and the print head comprises flowing a heated fluid through an outer tube, wherein at least a portion of a length of the conduit is encased in the outer tube.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein heating the recirculating second portion of the flowing chocolate material to the liquefying temperature is performed in a batch process.

19. The method of claim 18, and further comprising:

measuring a viscosity of the chocolate material;

comparing the measured viscosity to a viscosity threshold; and

initiating the heating of the recirculating second portion of the flowing chocolate material to the liquefying temperature based on the comparison.

20. The method of claim 18, and further comprising:

directing the liquefied chocolate material from the re-melter to the reservoir;

introducing seed crystals of the chocolate material to the reservoir; and

shearing and cooling the liquefied chocolate material in the reservoir with the introduced seed crystals to a temperature ranging from about 82°

F. to about 90°

F.