Shelly Palmer Radio Report – May 2, 2014

Few things can ruin a delicious plate of French fries quite like watery ketchup. But thanks to two high school students and a 3D printer in Missouri, watery ketchup might be a thing of the past. The students said they were tired of having watery ketchup ruin too many hamburger and hot dog buns, so they decided to come up with a solution as part of a class project. So what kind of solution did they come up with? A mushroom-shaped cap that forces the tomato paste up through a tube while holding back the unwanted water. The cap was created using CAD software, then formatted and 3D printed. The pair is now trying to get a provisional patent for their invention, then aims to pitch it to ketchup companies. It’s a small example of the change that 3D printers will have on the world, and a fun one at that – the students said they liked the experience because “there’s not many classes where you can do a year-long research project on ketchup.”