Universal Axis Yogurt Maker
Concept
- Heated bed on 3D printer can be programmed, and goes up to above boiling temperature
- Perfect for yogurt making (or filament drying)
- For yogurt maker, place 4 quart jars with milk on the heated bed
- Universal Axis assembly holds the heated bed like on 3D printer
- Heated bed could be a DIY nichrome heater, 120VAC, no need for larger DC power supply
- Chamber is enclosed
- Works with raw milk, meaning that milk has to be pasteurized first. This machine does that for you by taking milk up to 185F or so. Or if you use pasteurized milk, no need to heat first.
- If heating, then it has to cool off.
- Universal Axis pusher assembly pushes a culture seeder. Culture consists of cup of liquid. Universal Axis bumper pours the cups into the jars by bumping release lever on cups
- Incubation period of 10 hours
- Fully automated operation even for raw milk where you have to pasteurize.
Logic needs to be refined. When using stock Marlin with LCD screen - control code can be uploaded and run like it were a print file.
Custom Marlin may need to be used for cooling - because lowering temperature may cause unnecessary heating during cool-down phase. But if bed remains the same temperature as jars, it will be fine. May need extra thermal contact to achieve this. It may work without Marlin mod - would need to try.
If pasteurization is not requred (no culture seeding step, which is done prior to loading jars) - then a stock printer with enclosure suffices to make yogurt. No modification needed.
