REHOVOT, ISRAEL – International deep-tech food company, Steakholder Foods Ltd., announced on June 9 that it has completed the upgrade of its industrial-scale 3D bio-printer. The upgrade includes integration of electronic cards and printheads with a fully digital ink delivery system that enables high-throughput printing for a variety of species through hundreds of printhead nozzles, with the potential to print tons of meat per month.

Steakholder plans to use high-throughput 3D printing to create complex meat structures at a commercial scale. The upgraded printer will work simultaneously on a carousel to allow the high-throughput volume, with a modular structure that is expected to enable the addition of printheads per specifications of Steakholder Foods’ clients.

A DropJet printed circuit board (PCB) manages and controls the printheads. The final piece of the upgrade connected printheads to Steakholder Foods’ proprietary, in-house software, that models and reads design files and creates the slicing that manages printing through the printheads. This software enables precise printing of complex 3D structures. The system’s adaptability is expected to allow the printing of almost any species, as the printer systems keep cells alive and undamaged throughout the printing process.

“Steakholder Foods’ 3D printer cutting-edge technology is fully developed in-house,” said Itamar Atzmony, vice president of Engineering at Steakholder Foods. “From the mechanical design to the software and electronics, this upgrade brings us one step closer to mass production, creating sophisticated meat and fish structures for the cultivated meat industry.”

Steakholder plans to develop more automation capabilities, cost optimization and validations for commercialization in the future.