High school students put an end to watery ketchup with a 3D-printed cap

As you stand above your burger with that squeezable ketchup bottle, you quickly become disappointed with the unpleasant watery liquid that shoots out before the actual condiment itself. Luckily, two high school students put their heads together to design the 3D-printed ketchup-dispensing invention we’ve all been waiting for.

Thompson and Richards' 3D-printed ketchup bottle solution. Image via geek.com.

Teenagers Jonathan Thompson and Tyler Richards of Missouri created a bottle replacement cap that forces the ketchup away from the top and into a small tube at its center, which the ketchup then squeezes out of. After a number of prototypes, the two settled on a mushroom-shaped cap to separate the water that settles at the top of the bottle from the thick red paste.

The pair first sketched out their idea on paper, then designed their invention with CAD software before printing it on a 3D printer. For now, they’re having fun with their smart solution, and there is no word yet whether they plan to bring the product to market.

Both Thompson and Richards are part of the Project Lead Way program, a national STEM initiative that “gives students in kindergarten through high school a chance to apply what they know, identify problems, find unique solutions, and lead their own learning,” according to the project website.

Story via Mashable.