Aparna, a student at NDRI, says that, "3D printing is a new technology that is already in use to make chocolates etc in foreign countries, and it has now come to India for the first time. With this technology, our traditional dairy products such as barfi, sandesh etc can be 3D-printed. This 3D printing machine can create objects in various kinds of designs, such as star-shaped, dolphin-shaped, and many others. It also allows us to modify the amount of ingredients used as well as enhance their nutrition levels – for example, barfi can be made with high or low calorie content, and in various shapes and dimensions. Everything can be personalised according to preference."
NDRI has already created its first 3D-printed barfi sample. However, since the current machine is suited only for laboratory-scale production, commercial deployment will take time.
NDRI Director Dheer Singh said, "We have created the first sample of barfi using 3D printing. This machine can be used to make products to suit customer preferences. We have launched it, but since its capacity is limited to producing sweets only in a laboratory environment, it will take time to take it to the commercial scale. So I’m thinking that we will create a Google form, and if someone needs it, then (they can request it through the form) we will provide them the (3D printing) technology accordingly."
While research remains the institute’s priority, NDRI says it is open to partnering with a company or startup to take this innovation to the market.