Courtesy of Sugar Lab
A 20-sided shape called an icosahedron!
Most candies are made in molds at factories or carefully shaped by hand at a candy shop. But a company called Sugar Lab in Los Angeles, California, makes candies with 3-D printers. These devices build up layers of material to create solid objects. Many 3-D printers use plastic, but Sugar Lab’s printers use sugar!
At Sugar Lab, designers first draw shapes on computers. Chefs send the designs to the printer. Then they fill the printer with powdered sugar and flavorings. The printer first spreads out a layer of powder. Then it sprays colored water, hardening and coloring the powder and sealing the layer. It builds more layers until the candy is complete!
“3-D printers help chefs make treats that would be very difficult to shape and color by hand,” says Kyle von Hasseln. He’s the CEO of Sugar Lab. These impressive creations include hollow 3-D shapes with 20 or more sides. A 20-sided shape is called an icosahedron (eye-koh-suh-HEE-druhn)! What candy shape would you want to print?