From Your Idea to a Ceramic Component
We support your project throughout the complete ceramic additive manufacturing workflow—from the initial idea and material selection to 3D printing, heat treatment and delivery of the finished components.
How it works?
1. Project Consultation
Every project begins with understanding your application. We discuss the intended use of the component, operating conditions, required material properties, geometry, quantity and expected outcome. You can contact us with a finished 3D model, an initial concept or simply a description of the samples you need. Based on this information, we recommend the most suitable next steps for your project.
2. Design and Feasibility Review
We review the component geometry with respect to ceramic additive manufacturing and the subsequent heat-treatment process. Critical features such as minimum wall thickness, internal channels, unsupported areas, tolerances and possible distortion are evaluated. If necessary, we suggest design adjustments to improve printability and processing reliability. For research projects, we can also help define suitable test-sample geometries when no final design is available.
3. Material and Process selection
The ceramic material and manufacturing route are selected according to the required application and component properties. We evaluate whether one of our existing ceramic slurries is suitable or whether the project requires material or process adaptation. Printing parameters, expected sintering shrinkage, heat-treatment conditions and relevant technical requirements are defined before manufacturing begins.
4. Light-Based Ceramic 3D Printing
The component is manufactured layer by layer from a photosensitive ceramic slurry using light-based vat photopolymerization. Each layer is selectively cured according to the digital model until the complete green part is formed. This technology enables the production of complex geometries, fine features and internal structures that may be difficult to manufacture using conventional ceramic shaping methods.
5. Cleaning and Heat Treatment
After printing, the green components are carefully removed from the build platform and cleaned to eliminate residual uncured slurry. The organic binder is then removed during a controlled debinding cycle. Subsequent sintering densifies the ceramic structure and gives the component its final dimensions and characteristic ceramic properties. Because the component shrinks during sintering, this behaviour is considered during the earlier design and process-preparation stages.
6. Delivery
The finished components are then carefully packaged and delivered together with the relevant project or material information.
3D printing technology
For prototype 3D printing of ceramic components, we use LCM technology—Lithography-based Ceramic Manufacturing. This is a light-controlled process in which a ceramic slurry is cured layer by layer according to a digital 3D model. This creates a so-called green body, which is then cleaned, stripped of its organic binder, and sintered into the final ceramic component.
LCM technology enables the production of ceramic parts with high resolution, precise geometry, and complex internal structures that would be difficult or impossible to manufacture using conventional ceramic processes. It is suitable for the production of prototypes, test geometries, porous structures, small technical components, and functional ceramic samples.
For printing, we use the CeraFab 7500 from Lithoz. The device's print head measures 70 × 40 × 100 mm. The achievable print resolution in the x-y plane is 30 µm, and the minimum printable layer thickness is 10 µm.
Why Is 3D Ceramic Printing Useful for Industry?
Ceramic 3D printing makes it possible to produce shapes and internal structures that are difficult to achieve or economically unfeasible using conventional ceramic technologies. It is particularly suitable for situations where it is necessary to quickly validate a new design, prepare a functional prototype, work with complex geometries, or create a porous structure with a controlled architecture.
Ceramic 3D printing allows for rapid verification of a component design, the preparation of a functional prototype, or the testing of a new material without the need to produce molds, tools, or complex fixtures. This shortens the development cycle and allows for flexible adjustments to the geometry based on test results.
For industrial partners, this technology is particularly useful in applications requiring small production runs, complex shapes, precise details, or internal structures that cannot be easily produced by pressing, machining, or other conventional methods. Thanks to the additive approach, it is possible to design ceramic components with controlled porosity, lightweight structures, specific surface properties, or geometries tailored to a specific application.
Ceramic 3D printing is suitable for the development of technical ceramics, bioceramics, filtration structures, insulating elements, laboratory components, sensory or functional ceramic parts, and other applications where a combination of precision, thermal stability, chemical resistance, and material flexibility is important.