This Gadget Will Let You 3-D Print in Nutella A Canadian company has developed a printer attachment called a 'paste extruder' that makes it possible to 3-D print with materials that were previously off limits.
By Catherine Clifford •
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Once upon a time, serving bananas flambé -- complete with fire leaping out of the pan -- was an impressive way to end a dinner party. But soon, there could be an even crazier option: bringing your desktop 3-D printer to the table and serving up 3-D printed dessert made out of Nutella.
Waterloo, Canada-based company Structur3D Printing has created a printer attachment called a "paste extruder" that works with most 3-D printer models and allows makers to create 3-D printed items with a variety of soft materials.
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A Kickstarter campaign for the tool launched today and has already surpassed its initial financial target. The team was hoping to raise $30,000 Canadian dollars (CAD) and, as of 2 p.m. ET, the team had already raised more than $32,500 CAD.
The company intends to use the funds to produce at least 100 paste extruder units.
With the attachment, which you get with a $249 CAD pledge to the campaign, you can print objects with silicone, polyurethane, wood filler, clay, ceramics, icing sugar, Nutella or conductive paint. The goal is to give inventors and makers the ability to use more than just plastic in their existing 3-D printers, allowing them to be more creative and save money as they experiment with prototypes. The plastic filament typically required in first generation 3-D printers is expensive.
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"There have been 3-D printers specifically designed to print different types of food or silicone. Our product is different, because we're allowing you to make use of the printer you already have at home," the Kickstarter campaign reads.
The Discov3ry paste extruder is compatible with desktop 3-D Printers manufactured by MakerBot, Ultimaker and printrbot, among other popular brands.
Related: 3-D Printers Take a Step Toward the Mainstream
Check out the video embedded below of the Discov3ry paste extruder being used with Nutella.
