How Chocolatier Philip Khoury Made A Chocolate Flower Using Pressure Forming

Philip Khoury is a Pastry Chef and Chocolatier and is part of the culinary team at the prestigious department store Harrods, in London. He’s mastered the classics and is now innovating with new technologies in the kitchen - Philip’s current mission is to create world-class plant-based desserts and confectionery.

Philip collaborated with Mayku’s Lead Creator, Agustín Arroyo, to design a 3D model of a mechanical magnolia flower. The concept was to create a multi-layered chocolate sculpture that would mechanically open.

Due to the complexity of both the shape and the mechanism, traditional making techniques were discarded. Instead, a digital fabrication approach was adopted, using the latest technology to bring the idea to life.

The project was created with Autodesk Fusion 360, as it offers a design environment that allowed the team to work on the shape and functionality simultaneously.

Multiple iterations were made until the final product was ready. The design was validated using renders, as it gave Philip the chance to see how the final creation would look.

The mechanism was also virtually tested, considering manufacturability aspects as well as the properties of the chocolate that would be used for the final product.

Filament 3D printing (FDM) was used during the prototyping process as there’s a wide range of materials available and it’s one of the fastest additive manufacturing technologies. With it, Team Mayku was able to make changes to the design and validate it within hours.

Even though chocolate molds usually have a smooth surface, the final templates were made with the same technology, as we realized the layer lines enhanced the product’s personality and organic inspiration.

The main changes between the prototypes and final templates were related to the material and the 3D printing settings. HIPS material was chosen due to the high-temperature resistance and increased shell thickness and infill density were used to increase the template’s lifespan.

Once the template design is fully tested, production of the final design can start. The chocolate magnolia flower consists of fifteen different parts. A vast number of molds had to be made to allow for a high production flow. This number of molds outsourced would have been exceptionally expensive, making it difficult to justify for small batch or bespoke productions.

A custom rectangular shape was also used to create molds that could be easily stacked and stored, helping Philip keep the working area clean.

The molds were made using our Clear Sheets (PETG) as the transparency allows us to see the result before the bonbons are de-molded.

With the Mayku Multiplier, you no longer have to worry about minimum order quantities when looking to create bespoke molds. Simply make what you need when you want to, adapting and changing your design without ruining your expensive custom order.

Once the molds are made, they are ready to cast into instantly. Unlike outsourcing production or silicone mold manufacturing, there is no wait time.

Pastry Chef and Chocolatier, Philip Khoury filled the mold with tempered chocolate, removing the excess to create fillable chocolate petals. The petals were filled with caramel and then capped, scraped and left to harden.

Correctly tempered chocolate shrinks as it sets, meaning de-molding is straightforward and fast. Multiple prototypes of the magnolia flower parts were made to ensure there were no small features or undercuts that would ruin the maneuverability of the final product. These designs, combined with the Clear Sheets, allowed Philip Khoury to make molds that work well and can easily be reused.

Creating custom chocolates for a customer takes a lot of time and resources. Traditional mold-making services are slow and have a high cost, reducing the profit margin for the business and offering a suboptimal experience to the customer.

While traditional chocolate mold making services take weeks to make molds you don’t even have the chance to test, the Mayku Multiplier allows you to make them in days, controlling the creative process and allowing you to make changes quickly.

Forget about emails going back and forth with the mold manufacturer - that only increases the production costs of a single mold. With the Mayku Multiplier, you become your own mold manufacturer and won’t need to worry about minimum order quantities anymore.

Our certified resellers have invaluable knowledge of applications and workflows, which will help you seamlessly integrate the Multiplier into your workshop. You can find your local reseller here.

Do you have any questions before making a purchase? Our talented team of Mayku product specialists is available to answer all of your queries. Alternatively, you can reach out to @TeamMayku on social media.