Steakholder Foods announced on June 9, that they have upgraded their industrial 3D Bio-printer. Integrating electronic cards, printheads and a digital ink delivery system allows for high-throughput meat printing.
Commercial 3D printers can create meat structures with complex shapes. The complete upgrade includes hundreds of nozzles that work simultaneously on a carousel to allow the high-throughput volume, with a modular structure that is expected to enable the addition of printheads per specifications of Steakholder Foods’ clients. DropJet PCBs control and manage the printheads.
In the final part of the upgrade, printheads were connected to Steakholder Foods’ proprietary, in-house software, that models and reads design files and creates the slicing that manages printing through the printheads. With this software, complex 3D shapes can be printed with high precision. The system’s adaptability is expected to allow the printing of almost any species, as the printer systems keep cells alive and undamaged throughout the printing process.
The future development will include cost optimization and further automation. Modifications and customisations for partner requirements may be included in future development.
“Steakholder Foods’ 3D printer cutting-edge technology is fully developed in-house. From the mechanical design to the software and electronics, this upgrade brings us one step closer to mass production, creating sophisticated meat and fish structures for the cultivated meat industry,” said Itamar Atzmony, vice president of engineering at Steakholder Foods.