Solution patterns used by commercialized 3DFP companies
| Cluster/pattern no. . | Configuration option . | Pattern description . |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1A, 2A, 7C, 10A, 5A, 3B, 8A, 9C, 4A | Low-cost, home user 3D food printer business model The main intended value is to produce a creative design (5A) with food material prepared by users for their own consumption (8A). The printers in this category are sold mainly through resellers/distributors (9C) and are usually adapted from standard non-food (4A) extrusion 3D printers (1A), with little modification |
| 2 | 7A, 7B, 3A, 9B, 10B,4B, 8B | Dedicated 3D food printers for small-scale food producer business model This pattern is predominantly associated with new companies and start-ups especially focused on 3DFP. These companies use 3D printers that are newly developed for printing with food materials (4B). The printers are also designed to print with special materials, which are available from the printer manufacturers (3A), becoming an additional source of revenue. Both printers and supplementary products are sold primarily through webshops (9B). Their intended customers are small-scale food producers (8B), such as restaurants or bakeries. This group of companies is noticeably more active on various social media platforms (7B) |
| 3 | 8C, 10D | Leasing business model The leasing option (10D) for a 3D food printer is observed in only one example: Beehex’s 3D cake decorator, an industrial-scale machine capable of decorating several hundreds of cookies per hour |
| 4 | 1E, 2B, 1G | Technical solutions The technical solution patterns 4 and 5 are a combination of deposition technique and print material type variables. These two variables are linked by technological constraints. Binder jetting (1E) and hot air melting (1G) are used with powder or granular material (2B), such as sugar powder used by Sugar Lab. Melting extrusion (1B) is most often used with solid pallets (2C) of chocolate in various models of 3D chocolate printers. The combination of soft-materials extrusion (1A) and food paste printing material (2A) is also one of the technical solution patterns, but they are grouped into Pattern 1. These technical solution patterns stand on their own because they have weaker proximity to other business model configuration options |
| 5 | 1B, 2C | |
| 6 | 6A | Singleton clusters These three clusters comprise only one business model configuration option (singleton clusters): personalised nutrition (5B), academic partner (6A) and company partner (6B). Partnerships (6A, 6B) are observed in several companies; however, they do not appear to be associated with any specific set of configuration options. Value creation through personalised nutrition (5B) is observed in only two companies and is not clearly linked to other configuration options |
| 7 | 6B | |
| 8 | 5B |
| Cluster/pattern no. . | Configuration option . | Pattern description . |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1A, 2A, 7C, 10A, 5A, 3B, 8A, 9C, 4A | Low-cost, home user 3D food printer business model The main intended value is to produce a creative design (5A) with food material prepared by users for their own consumption (8A). The printers in this category are sold mainly through resellers/distributors (9C) and are usually adapted from standard non-food (4A) extrusion 3D printers (1A), with little modification |
| 2 | 7A, 7B, 3A, 9B, 10B,4B, 8B | Dedicated 3D food printers for small-scale food producer business model This pattern is predominantly associated with new companies and start-ups especially focused on 3DFP. These companies use 3D printers that are newly developed for printing with food materials (4B). The printers are also designed to print with special materials, which are available from the printer manufacturers (3A), becoming an additional source of revenue. Both printers and supplementary products are sold primarily through webshops (9B). Their intended customers are small-scale food producers (8B), such as restaurants or bakeries. This group of companies is noticeably more active on various social media platforms (7B) |
| 3 | 8C, 10D | Leasing business model The leasing option (10D) for a 3D food printer is observed in only one example: Beehex’s 3D cake decorator, an industrial-scale machine capable of decorating several hundreds of cookies per hour |
| 4 | 1E, 2B, 1G | Technical solutions The technical solution patterns 4 and 5 are a combination of deposition technique and print material type variables. These two variables are linked by technological constraints. Binder jetting (1E) and hot air melting (1G) are used with powder or granular material (2B), such as sugar powder used by Sugar Lab. Melting extrusion (1B) is most often used with solid pallets (2C) of chocolate in various models of 3D chocolate printers. The combination of soft-materials extrusion (1A) and food paste printing material (2A) is also one of the technical solution patterns, but they are grouped into Pattern 1. These technical solution patterns stand on their own because they have weaker proximity to other business model configuration options |
| 5 | 1B, 2C | |
| 6 | 6A | Singleton clusters These three clusters comprise only one business model configuration option (singleton clusters): personalised nutrition (5B), academic partner (6A) and company partner (6B). Partnerships (6A, 6B) are observed in several companies; however, they do not appear to be associated with any specific set of configuration options. Value creation through personalised nutrition (5B) is observed in only two companies and is not clearly linked to other configuration options |
| 7 | 6B | |
| 8 | 5B |