This collaborative project involves the development and construction of a manufacturing plant for ceramic components.

The method used is direct inkjet printing. This method is characterised by a ceramic “printing ink” that is cheap to produce, high precision of the printed parts, and a simple machine configuration.

The components are manufactured from printable dispersions containing ceramic particles that are applied by means of one or more printing heads. It should also be possible to manufacture multi-material components from various different ceramics, for example in order to realise combinations of electrically conductive materials with electrically insulating ceramics.

The project will be carried out in collaboration with industry and university partners. The OHM-CMP is responsible for designing and building the plant. Due to the nature of the method, the printer must have a high degree of positioning and repetitive accuracy. Since the printed layer thickness is only a few µm, a high process speed is needed in order for parts to be manufactured economically.

A significantly lower volume of binding agent is needed in comparison to other ceramic 3D printing methods, which drastically reduces the time and effort required for unbinding. The overall manufacturing time should be reduced by up to 70% compared to comparable methods available on the market. Material costs can also be reduced by up to 80%.

Project leader: Prof. Michael Koch, Dr.-Ing.

Researcher: Frank Prechtel, M.Sc.

Contributors: Rauschert Heinersdorf-Pressig GmbH, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, RWTH Aachen

Dates: 1 January 2021 – 30 November 2024

Funded by: the Bavarian Joint Research Programme (BayVFP) – Materials and substances