What do you get when you combine a background in visual art, 3D printing technology, and a desire for highly customized chocolate? Just ask Brian Begun, the visual effects artist turned chocolate maker who invented a patent-pending process for replicating three-dimensional objects in chocolate.
Begun has been "making the impossible look possible" for more than 20 years as a visual effects artist for television and films like "Pacific Rim" and "Star Trek Into Darkness." With a career built on artistic and technical expertise under his belt, he recently took a step away from the entertainment industry and founded his company, Everything's Made of Chocolate.
"It all started with my wedding," Begun said. "My wife and I wanted to have custom-designed chocolate pieces for our guests. After finding that custom chocolate work was either too expensive or wasn't what we were looking for, we ended up doing the work ourselves. After much thought and research, I realized there had to be a better way to approach chocolate design."
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Creating chocolate molds has traditionally been a complicated process, involving techniques such as heat-treated plastic, metal stamping or covering an object in food-safe silicone. By using 3D printing technology, Begun's method allows for the replication of an object without heavy machinery, heat, pressure or chemicals that can damage or destroy the original item. Printing the molds from computer scans of the object means that size and details can easily be changed, which can't be said of traditional chocolate molds.
According to Begun, his process will "stretch the boundaries of what you would normally find shaped in chocolate." The Indiegogo page for the company says that Everything's Made of Chocolate will be able to create molds based on actual objects like heirlooms, personal items and corporate logos. Because of the flexibility in mold material and easy replication process, Begun also believes his invention will make custom chocolate design more accessible and affordable for consumers.
Originally published on BusinessNewsDaily.
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