Chocolate 3D Printer, Cocoa Press, to Ship this Fall for $1,499. Pre-Orders Start in April.
Every 3D printer is capable of printing from either filament or resin. Cocoa Press, an upcoming 3D printer, makes models that you can eat from chocolate. Cocoa Press is the brainchild of Ellie Weinstein, Maker and Battlebots Competitor. It will be available for preorder starting April 17th via cocoapress.com (opens new tab) Cocoa Press is the company’s other name.
Cocoa Press DIY kits will start at $1,499 and are estimated to ship in September while professional packages, which come fully built, will cost $3,995 and ship in early 2024. You will only need to pay $100 deposit when you reserve your printer. The rest of the payment is due at shipping time. According to the company, it will take approximately 10 hours to build the DIY kit.
The Cocoa Press’ build volume is 140x150x150 mm. This is smaller than a regular 3D printer but it is sufficient for most chocolate creations. The printer heats the chocolate only to 33° Celsius (91.4° Fahrenheit) rather than plastic filaments, which require heating to 200 to 250 degrees Celsius. The bed isn’t heated.
Cocoa Press will use 70g cartridges of special chocolate to replace a roll of filament and a tank filled with resin. The company will sell the 10 packs for $49, which is $49 less than a standard FDM printer. The cigar-shaped chocolate pieces go into a metal syringe where the entire thing is melted at the same time rather than melting as it passes through the extruder (like a typical FDM printer).
Weinstein demonstrated how the Cocoa Press works in a video he made with MandicReally.
The Cocoa Press produced a few designs, including a chocolate fish that moves and a chocolate barrel. Weinstein’s Tik Tok channel features a video of the printer producing a vase (Opens in new tab.
Because the chocolate touches only four parts of the printer, it is safe and sanitary. They are easy to take out (without using tools) and wash in a sink. The Cocoa Press’s attractive orange, silver, and black design is reminiscent of a Prusa Mini+.
It runs on an Ultimachine Archim2 32 bit processor powered by Marlin firmware. This is the same type as FDM printers. Standard 3D models can be downloaded from websites like Printables or created by you. (Opens in a new tab Thingiverse or (opens new tab) Slice them in PrusaSlicer.
Cocoa Press isn’t the first to release this printer. Weinstein’s company had previously sold version 5 “Chef”, a much larger model that was more expensive at $9,995 in 2020. However, she has stopped making it and now concentrates on the smaller, less expensive model. She informed us that all who purchased the older model will be given a free copy.
You can learn more about Cocoa Press by tuning into the Tom’s hardware Pi Cast, March 14, 2023. Ellie Weinstein joins us for live questions.
In an earlier version of this article, it was incorrectly stated that Cocoa Press chocolate cartridges cost $49 per piece. The price for a 10 pack will be $49, as we later discovered.
