01-06-2015: 3D Systems presented CocoJet—the chocolate 3D printer developed with The Hershey Company...

...and announced the acquisition of the infamous botObjects, which claimed to have created a full-color FFF 3D printer

On January 6, 2015, 3D Systems unveiled an exciting 3D printer that never made it to market and announced the acquisition of one of the most controversial startups in 3D printing history. Both moves turned out to be a swan song for the Avi Reichental-led 3D Systems, which was about to plunge into a severe crisis that would lead to its CEO's departure in October of the same year. But in January 2015, at CES in Las Vegas, everything still looked perfect.

The first announcement was CocoJet, a commercial chocolate 3D printer developed in collaboration with confectionery giant Hershey. The product was first showcased in December 2014 at Hershey’s Chocolate World Attraction but made its broader debut in January at CES.

CocoJet allowed 3D printing with dark, milk, or white chocolate, opening up new possibilities for the confectionery industry. The technology relied on extruding chocolate layer by layer, much like FFF technology. As with traditional 3D printers, the process required precise control of temperature and material consistency, which posed significant challenges.

CocoJet was intended to be the second confectionery 3D printer, following the ChefJet, which printed with sugar and had been showcased a year earlier. While both devices had the potential to revolutionize the industry, neither ever entered mass production. In CocoJet’s case, there were no concrete plans for commercialization. ChefJet Pro, despite promises of a 2015 market release, also never made it to stores.

The acquisition of botObjects, however, was already extremely controversial at the time. In April 2013, the previously unknown startup claimed to have created a revolutionary full-color FFF 3D printer. It shared beautiful renders of its device but offered no explanation of how the filament color mixing process worked.

By mid-May of that year, botObjects showcased "printed models" that looked suspiciously like renders from graphic design software. Over time, it became clear that no delivery deadlines were being met, despite receiving prepayments for devices. When the 3D printer finally saw the light of day, it turned out not to mix colors at all but instead switched filament colors during printing, layer by layer—a method that was far from revolutionary.

Just as it seemed the project was destined to die a natural death, 3D Systems unexpectedly announced it had purchased the company and its technology, intending to integrate it into the latest versions of its CubePro 3D printer.

That, too, never materialized. By the end of the same year, 3D Systems discontinued its Cube series altogether.

Source: www.3dsystems.com & www.centrumdruku3d.pl