[Image above] Additively manufactured ceramic components from Lithoz. Credit: Lithoz

Additive manufacturing is one of our favorite topics.

That’s because this technique is breaking boundaries in manufacturing—changing the way we think about processes, components, and materials themselves.

And while additive manufacturing may be dominated by polymers, that doesn’t mean that ceramics and glass are exempt from the reaches of this revolutionary manufacturing technique.

In fact, additive manufacturing of ceramics is making incredible strides this year.

Earlier this year, Tethon 3D developed a compression-enhanced 3D printer to deliver stronger ceramics.

HRL Labs also developed its own process for printing stronger, harder ceramics that can stand the heat—a breakthrough that created quite a buzz in the materials community and beyond.

And now we’re seeing 3-D-printed ceramics creeping into the medical world as well with bioceramic custom bone replacements.

So it’s perhaps no surprise that at Formnext, a recent international exhibition all about additive manufacturing, ceramic materials had a strong presence on the show floor. Formnext 2016 hosted over 300 exhibitors and 13,000 visitors in Frankfurt, Germany, Nov. 15–18.

TCT Magazine, which helps host Formnext, talked to some of the companies advancing additive manufacturing of ceramics at this year’s exhibition.

TCT talked with Lithoz cofounder and CEO Johannes Homa, who says that “Ceramics are used where other materials fail—they have superior materials properties than metals and polymers.”

Lithoz (Vienna, Austria) designs and builds additive manufacturing systems to fabricate high-performance ceramic parts using stereolithography, employing mixtures of ceramic particles in photopolymer resins to achieve its quality ceramics.

But it’s not just a niche opportunity that Lithoz are interested in. The company has one emphasis when it comes to additive manufacturing of ceramics. As Homa puts it, “There are three important things in ceramics. It’s first quality; second quality; and the third point is quality.”

Hear more about Homa’s ethos on additive manufacturing of ceramics in this short video from TCT Magazine.

Credit: TCT Magazine – Accelerating 3D Technologies; YouTube

In addition to Lithoz, Admatec and 3DCeram each debuted its own commercial ceramic-specific 3-D printer at Formnext. And other companies flexed their ceramic printing muscles, too, with Xjet and Roland DG displaying the promising 3-D printing technologies each company is working to develop.

See more from the Formnext show floor with the following videos from TCT Magazine.

Credit: TCT Magazine – Accelerating 3D Technologies; YouTube

Credit: TCT Magazine – Accelerating 3D Technologies; YouTube

Credit: TCT Magazine – Accelerating 3D Technologies; YouTube

Credit: TCT Magazine – Accelerating 3D Technologies; YouTube

 

Author

April Gocha

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