Using Edible Ink and Frosting Sheets

If you want to put photos and images on chocolates, consider edible inks and frosting sheets. I spoke to a representative from Kopykake, a leading company selling the products, and it was explained to me how their system can be used to make custom chocolates.

Basically, you would take a frosting sheet (icing sheet) and put an image on it using edible inks. The sheet is layed into a chocolate mold and a layer of chocolate is added. (According to Kopykake, it is best to use white chocolate as the colors may be affected if milk or dark chocolate is used) The sheet will asborb into the chocolate, leaving a seamless image.

There are many different ways to get an image on the frosting sheet. You can simply draw on it using edible ink markers, you can trace a picture or logo and color it by hand, you can airbrush it, use a rubber stamp dipped in edible inks, or best of all use a printer or scanner. Using a printer or a scanner, an image is transferred to the frosting sheet in brilliant color just like printing on a piece of paper. You can do photos or whatever type of computerized image you want.

The Kopykake system is great because the frosting sheets are already made in pre-formatted shapes such as circles, squares, hearts, and business cards. They also have free software that allows makes it easy to add text and graphics. They also sell edible ink cartridges that fit into many Epson and Canon inkjet printers that can be bought off the shelf at any store.

One really neat project is to make an edible photo in a chocolate picture frame. To do this, you would get a picture frame mold and a print a photo onto a frosting sheet. Put the printed frosting sheet in the mold frame where the picture would naturally go, add the chocolate, and you're left with an edible picture in a photo frame.

If you don't want to get into making the frosting sheets yourself, there are companies on the internet that will make them for you. It is much less expensive than having a custom tranfer sheet made. A transfer sheet is different in that it is an image actually printed in cocoa butter. Only the cocoa butter image is transferred onto the chocolate if you use a transfer sheet. A frosting sheet is a bit different, but it still provides the roughly the same result.

2008 All Candy Expo

It's that time of the year again! Set your calendars for the 2008 All Candy Expo held May 20 - 22, 2008 at McCormick Place in Chicago. The All Candy Expo is the largest confectionery, cookie, and snack show in the Americas. Products featured at the show include: chocolate, candy, gum, salty snacks, cookies, biscuits, popcorn, granola bars, breakfast snacks, nutrition bars, meat snacks, fruit snacks, and nuts. There are supposed to be more than 500 exhibitors at the show.

At the show you can learn about new retail merchandising displays, new products, and confectionery industry trends. Find and taste new gourmet products from around world, including natural and organic confections and snacks. Jacque Torres has been added as the featured speaker for the Wednesday educational lunch session.

Some of the sessions and topics that will be discussed are:

• Is organic chocolate a "can't miss opportunity"?
• Chocolate chefs from around the world.
• How has seasonal merchandising changed and why?
• Mistakes to avoid in merchandising confectionery and snacks.
• "Green" packaging.
• New chocolate and cocoa product trends.

For more information about the show, including where to stay and what companies will be there, go to the official website of the 2008 All Candy Expo.

Review of EZ Form 1510

If you want to buy a vacuum forming machine to make molds, I would recommend that you look at the EZ Form SV 1510 manufactured by Centroform. I owned one of these vacuum formers and was very pleased. It sells new for $649.00 plus $37.00 shipping and handling. It can be purchased directly from the manufacturer, or if you check eBay sometimes they auction new machines or you can buy used machines for around $450.00.

The features and specfications for the machine according to Centroform are as follows:

• Patent Pending


• Heavy duty 10' grounded electrical cord


• Maintenance free Galvanized seal less platen ( Forming area)


• Small internal chamber which allows quicker suction


• Operates on household 110-120 current


• Plastic holding frame slides down quickly before plastic starts to cool


• Incoloy® tubular heating element. Symmetrically engineered for uniform heat distribution to critical areas with no dead spots


• Depth of draw up to 7 inches depending on mold shape and plastic
  Forms plastics up to 1/4"


• Precut plastic (white, clear food safe, black and other colors) is available


• Additional outlets are integrated in to the unit which allows additional (storage tanks - vacuum pumps) to be connected to the unit if needed, opens automatically when suction is applied


• Unit ships with a starter kit which includes a variety of plastics


• Operator’s Manual is included with pictures, sources for plastic and blister/skin packaging supplies, tricks on vacuum forming and molds
  The EZFORM SV 1510 works with all formable plastics which include : Styrene, Acrylic or Plexiglas, Pet-G, PVC, ABS, Polyethylene, vinyl, Lexan or Polycarbonate and many more


• This unit can be used for production, prototyping, Magnetic letters, molds for plaster/concrete/candy/chocolate, Packaging, Blister packaging, Skin Packaging, sign making, mask making, special effects, RC Parts (cowls - wingtips - canopies) and many more


• Limited lifetime warranty and free technical support


• Specifications:
  Unit measures : 26 " high x 23 " long x 12 " wide
  Forming area : 15 ¼ " x 10 ¼ "
  Weight : 35 lbs
  
  MORE INFORMATION:
  The EZFORM ® series come with a high source handpump integrated into the unit, only the handle is visible. The machine has an elastic opening to attach your vacuum (shop vac or other common household vacuums) and another additional outlet to add an electric pump to replace the handpump for high volume production. This is how the machine works: The vacuum removes most of the air (it removes a lot of air quickly but it does not have a lot of torque) a pressure sensitive valve closes automatically when the vacuum is no longer able to suction. What is left is evacuated by the handpump or you can add an electric pump later if needed (the pump/handpump removes less air with more torque) .

I thought this machine had some better features as compared to other similarly priced machines. For example, the mechanism for getting the plastic over the model on the forming area is a pull down from the top type, instead of the flip from the side type. Once the plastic has sagged, you can pull it down quickly and straight. I have heard that the flip type causes the plastic to sway to one side while you are flipping it to the forming surface.

Another advantage is that you are able to use more than one vacuum source and the machine has a built in manual hand pump. For making detailed chocolate molds with logos, you need a really good suction to get in small places. Sometimes this is difficult, especially if you are only using a shop vac. The EZ Form machine allows you to use a shop vac combined with another vacuum source, such as a vacuum pump or air compressor.

If you want to learn more about vacuum forming machines, including how to make them yourself, visit The Chocolate Mold Factory's main website for articles and videos.

Chicago School of Mold Making

Anyone interested in taking a class about making chocolate molds, should contact the Chicago School of Mold Making. Michael Joy, sculptor and master mold maker, teaches three day workshops that teaches students how to make silicone molds. According to his website, some of the details of the workshop are as follows:


Silicone Mold Making Workshop

Class Description: Our three day workshop opens with a mold making demonstration. Immediately following, students make their own mold from similar objects. The process continues with students learning how to make Hydrocal master molds and then pouring food grade production molds. Once completed, students may make a mold of an object they have brought to class. Upon completion of the class, each student will leave with the molds they have made, including two or more non-food grade molds, Hydrocal master molds, food grade (platinum cured) silicone molds…and time permitting, a silicone mold of an object that you brought. An instructional hand out and resource list will also be provided.

Specific information addressed in class:* How to use non food grade and food grade silicone * How to design and make a silicone mold efficiently. * Making Hydrocal master molds for multiple mold production * Proper surface preparation, molding from almost any surface * Demo, using wax as a sculptural tool* Making a gang mold (multiple cavity mold)* How to recycle silicone* Locating additional sources and information outside of the food industry* How to recognize quality and craftsmanship in the mold industry.* Power Point presentation, The Shape of Food is Changing.

The cost of the workshop according to the website is $1,050.00 per student. Includes: all materials and an essential mold making tool kit (which you take home.)


If you have a question about the class you can call 708-660-9707 or send them an email Joy@ChicagoMoldSchool.com.

Custom Carvewright or Compucarve 3d Model Files

CarveWright Woodworking System

Many people are catching on to the Carvewright or Compucarve CNC system. For the first time it is possible to do computerized carving without having extensive CAD/CAM knowledge. A Carvewright user simply saves a project to a memory card, puts the card in the machine, and the machine tells the user what to do.

There are many companies out there making computer files of models that can be purchased. You have to be careful if you intend to make molds with any of these files. Copyright infringment is a serious issue. Make sure the seller knows what you intend to do with any file you purchase so as to avoid problems.

If you want to use the Carvewright system to make molds with your own designs or with your customers designs and logos, there are companies who will make the 3d model files for you. One such company is Vector Art 3d, Inc. Besides STL and ArtCam files, Vector Art 3d can make custom 3d files for the Carvewright system. You can go to their website and get a quote. To get the quote they just need an image, whether it be a photo or drawing. The website says that they try to get all quotes done within 72 hours.

You also choose whether the design will be exclusive or open use. This is critical. If you do not want your artwork copied make sure you choose exclusive. However, if it doesn't matter, you can choose open use and the cost of making the file will be reduced. Open use means that they will sell your file to other users.

Antique Chocolate Molds

Most mass marketed chocolate molds sold today are made with serious technology. Sophisticated CAD/CAM computer programs, engineered food grade materials, and expensive machinery. Like everything else, that wasn't always the case. Chocolate molds have been around for hundreds of years and the process of making them has gone through drastic changes. One thing that has not changed is that, for some, the molds are still considered to be works of art.

Before the use of plastics, chocolate molds were made of metal. Some were cast metals made by foundrys and others were made of sheet metal that was stamped around plaster models. Whether cast or stamped, the plaster models were hand sculpted by artists. They were very intricate. Most of the older molds were made in Germany and France. Metals such as tin, tin coated copper, silver plated copper, nickel steel, nickel coated metal, aluminum, and stainless steel were primarily used. Probably the most noted mold maker was Friedrich Anton Reiche. The Reiche molds were and still are in demand because of their variety and beauty. In the 1930's they had as many as 50,000 different molds.

Today, collecting antique chocolate molds has become both a hobby and business for many people. There are alot of people selling them over the internet, at auctions, shows, and eBay. Many of the molds now sell for hundreds of dollars. Some are kept for their simple beauty, others are used to make chocolate and other types of art. Some people have made plastic replicas of the vintage chocolate molds. These can be purchased for much less money and produce the same chocolates.

If you are buying old chocolate molds and intend to use them for food purposes, please be sure to check them first. The coatings can wear over time. This can cause rusting or exposure to unhealthy materials. It also makes it very difficult to remove the chocolate.

For more information about the history of chocolate molds, you might consider reading some books written by Wendy Mullen. She has written several books about collecting antique chocolate molds. Her books are well known by collectors for their historical presentation, pictures, tips, and listing of current values.

Personalized Chocolate Options

There are many different reasons for wanting a personalized chocolate product. Some people want them for corporate promotions, weddings, baby showers, non-profit fundraisers, and the list goes on. Depending on your budget, there are many options available ranging from a personalized wrapper to a full custom 3d chocolate.

• Personalized Wrappers: You can have a custom printed candy bar wrapper or a custom printed label on a candy package. The printing can be text, logos, and photos. With this, the actual chocolate product is not customized, rather only the label is. You can buy only the wrappers, or the completed chocolate product already wrapped or with your custom label.

• Personalized M&M's: Another simple method is to order personalized M&Ms. There are many different color, message, and packaging options to choose from.

• Custom Foil Embossed Wrapper: Foil stamping is usually done to customize chocolate coins, although it can be done with other shapes and sizes. You can have the foil embossed with text and logos. Usually there is a set-up charge for foil stamping.

• Custom Chocolate Transfer Sheets: A transfer sheet creates an image on chocolate by using edible inks. The food grade coloring is printed on a acetate sheet and is transferred to the chocolate during the molding process. This process creates a trendy artisan chocolate. There is usually a set-up charge for printing the transfer sheets, somewhere around $100 - $200, and a minimum order. Plus, you will have the cost of actually making the chocolates and packaging.

• Custom Molded Chocolates: Molded chocolates are the most customized type of chocolate. For this type of chocolate, a custom chocolate mold needs to be made. There are basically two types of molded chocolate - flat and 3d. Flat chocolates are only molded on one side. Examples include, chocolate business cards, chocolate suckers, and many novelty chocolates. There are many companies who can make flat chocolate business cards and other shapes and this is the least expensive type of custom molded chocolate. It can usually be done for a set-up charge of $100 - $200. Again, this does not include the cost of actually making and packaging the chocolate. Custom novelty chocolates, whether flat or 3d, are more involved. An example might be if a company wants a chocolate replica of its product. This type of molding usually requires hand sculpting, computer aided design, and/or computerized machinery. The set-up charge on this type of mold can become very expensive even running into thousands of dollars.

As you can see, the cost of ordering custom chocolate products can become very expensive. To reduce the cost you may want to consider trying to make them yourself. At The Chocolate Mold Factory's main website you will find many free tutorials and videos explaining how you can do this. Many times you can make the molds yourself for under $100.

What are Polycarbonate Chocolate Molds?

Polycarbonate chocolate molds are considered to be the best molds for making chocolates and other confections. They are known for their superior durability and ability to withstand heat. The finished products demold easily and have a high quality finish. In addition, most polycarbonate molds work well with other confectionery equipment.

Polycarbonate is a type of plastic. Confectionery molds are made from a special type of polycarbonate that is FDA approved for contact with food. It can be made into a mold by thermoforming or plastic injection. Thermoforming involves heating a plastic sheet and forming it around an object using vacuum suction. Plastic injection is a process whereby a plastic resin is formed around a metal master under high pressure. Plastic injection is by far the best method, but is also much more expensive and time consuming. Most polycarbonate chocolate molds are manufactured in Europe; however, some are made in the United States. Companies such as Micelli Chocolate Mold Co. and Tomric Plastics are two companies in the United States that specialize in making polycarbonate chocolate molds.

If you plan on using chocolate molds for a commercial purpose or for a long production run, you should seriously consider buying polycarbonate chocolate molds. They are more expensive than hobby grade molds, but they will last much longer and yield a higher quality finished product.