G A LLEY I NSERTS
“ Computing
technology is
continuing to
evolve quickly”
3D-PRINTED
MEALS
aircraftinteriorsinternational.com
SEPTEMBER 2019
Differentiated dining
3D printing has transformed many industries,
including meal preparations in recent times.
From an airline perspective the technology could
have a number of applications to help elevate the
customer experience, while also helping to reduce
food waste.
“With an onboard 3D food printer, an airline
could provide a range of unique and customisable
inflight desserts without needing ready-made
dishes that take up space in a cart,” says James
Roome, a transport designer at JPA Design.
In Roome’s view the ‘raw materials’ to create
a dessert can be contained in compact canisters
that would feed the printer. The passenger could
then choose from a variety of desserts to be
created and order them via the IFE system. The
passenger would also have options to customise
the shape, size and decoration of the dessert.
Having the raw materials stored means that
the desserts that are produced are intended
to be eaten, reducing unused meals and food
waste. As technology progresses, 3D printing
can progress from creating desserts and candy,
to creating full meals onboard.
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There are two things that are driving
changes for the future, according
to Brian Schmalz, VP of sales and
marketing for galley inserts at Collins
Aerospace. The first is that airlines
are increasingly relying on inflight
food and beverage service as a way
to differentiate themselves, whether
that be premium international airlines
increasing the quality of their food
and beverage offering to attract highvalue
flyers, or lower cost carriers
opening up additional ancillary
revenue via expanded buy-on-board
food and beverage offerings. This
opens up opportunities for a different
mix of galley inserts to be used in
different ways.
The second driver is that computing
technology is continuing to evolve
very quickly.
“Without divulging any details
regarding the things we are working
on, the new Essence Premier ovens
are just the tip of the iceberg, says
Schmalz. “Collins Aerospace has
dedicated teams of scientists and
engineers that are continuously
exploring ways to expand the limits
of what is possible for galley inserts.
We aren’t just an aerospace company,
we are also a passenger experience
company that takes food science
very seriously, and leverages our
understanding of food science in
the design of galley inserts.”
THE ESSENCE RANGE IS
STYLED TO LOOK LIKE
DOMESTIC APPLIANCES
/aircraftinteriorsinternational.com