Feature first published in the January/February 2023 issue, with contributions from Isabel Potestio (Lithoz), Guy Zimmerman (XJet) and Vincent Poirier (Novadditive). Roles and examples are presented in that historical context.
Beyond medical applications, ceramic additive manufacturing also serves automotive and aerospace needs. This feature examines materials, manufacturing requirements and the transition from demonstrators to production. Opportunities vary by process and application.
The conversation around this topic comes from one observation: most of the time, Aerospace and Automotive companies are making headlines with applications achieved using FDM, metal AM, resin or polymer 3D printing. With the multitude of AM processes that are popping up every day – and taking into consideration the ones that are already commercialized -, our assessment of ceramic AM reveals a potential that is quite underestimated – or unknown? It’s hard to say, quite frankly. Nevertheless, we are wondering if this lack of communication is due to a gap between technology recognition and technology usage or is it simply a matter of privacy policy between contract manufacturers and companies across the aerospace and automotive industries?
The gap between technology recognition and technology usage poses the question of how potential users see the technology. Are they seeing ceramic AM as a disruptive technology or as an emerging one? The truth is, the words “emerging” and “disruptive” are often used interchangeably when it comes to technology while in reality, they are very different. As Dr. Johannes Gartner, Assistant Professor at the Johannes Kepler University Austria once explained, emerging technologies describe innovations with the potential of being disruptive, real disruptions are only realized when an emerging technology is used to either solve an unsolved problem or to solve an old problem in a better way.
Limited visibility of some applications may reflect technical maturity, qualification costs or confidentiality. It does not by itself demonstrate a lack of investment or industrial use.
According to Lithoz’ Director of Sales and Marketing, Isabel Potestio, “The main obstacle currently facing ceramic AM here is that manufacturers aren’t yet fully aware of the level this process is now at. The technology has matured significantly as a manufacturing technique over the last years -that is, while many manufacturers may have initially started using ceramic AM in a prototyping capacity, many have transitioned into full production. They have experienced the performance and workflow benefits of ceramics AM and are taking it to the next step. Today we see customers producing millions of ceramic 3D printed parts per year, which are not economically viable for injection molding or machining.”
The volumes cited by Potestio concern customer cases reported by Lithoz, not a measure of the overall market or of automotive and aerospace production.
Technical and traditional ceramics encompass different compositions and properties. Part mass alone does not distinguish them: technical ceramics can serve components of various sizes, and casting cores can use specialized formulations.
The wide range of applications across technical and traditional ceramics often makes it difficult to understand the specifications around technologies and materials. However, the growing interest in technical ceramics will make us focus on this part of the market as part of this feature.
“Ceramic machining is very challenging. For instance, in comparison to metal machining, the risk of surface damage, chipping, and tool wear are much greater, and dimensional accuracy is much harder to achieve, so additive manufacturing is arguably an even greater step forward in the field of ceramics than it is in the established fields of metal and polymer AM. Together with the unique properties of ceramics, such as strength, isolation, etc., there’s huge potential for expansion of technical ceramic applications”, Guy Zimmerman, Chief Marketing Officer at Xjet, metal AM & ceramic 3D printer manufacturer, comments.
This feature discusses the challenges and potential of ceramic AM across the automotive and aerospace industries.
Where do the challenges and opportunities lie within aerospace and automotive?
Whether we discuss applications in automotive or aerospace, the challenges and opportunities are reflected at two main levels:
- The materials
- The “High Value vs High Volume” decision
The materials
Technical ceramics serve mechanical, thermal and electrical functions in vehicles. Conventional routes include ceramic injection moulding (CIM), pressing and machining. Metal injection moulding (MIM) produces metal parts and should not be confused with CIM.
Choosing a ceramic AM process depends on material, geometry, resolution, densification and cost. Our process overview presented several families; that editorial classification is neither a standard nor an exhaustive list.
“The majority of leading mechanical ceramic applications in automotive are still made with traditional processes of CIM and Machining. The AM processes that start adding value in automotive are DLP and Direct Material Jetting. The reason is the requirement for high accuracy, repeatability and total cost per part, which requires high throughput and automated manufacturing processes”, Zimmerman outlines.
In aerospace, ceramic AM can produce complex casting cores. Their role should be distinguished from that of a ceramic component used directly in flight. A nozzle, sensor or antenna demonstrator does not by itself establish qualification for operational service.
Some ceramics offer useful temperature resistance, corrosion resistance or electrical properties in demanding environments. These properties are not identical across compositions; brittleness, thermal shock, density and joining also require assessment.
“Ceramics are the material of choice in extreme environments where other materials fail, and so it is in these applications that ceramics are really becoming commercialized. One example is 3D printed ceramic cores for aerospace applications. With climate change being the major challenge facing the world today, manufacturers in every field are looking to be more sustainable by building more efficient parts to save resources. 3D printing offers a level of design freedom unachievable using conventional manufacturing techniques, allowing for the production of more fuel-efficient designs”, Potestio explains.
Debinding, sintering, shrinkage and defect control can complicate production of dense parts. These challenges do not mean all ceramic AM remains exploratory: maturity and qualification depend on the part, material and manufacturing chain.
Potestio presents LCM, LIS and LSD-print as responses to different requirements. In its October 2022 announcement, Lithoz distinguished LCM’s resolution and internal structures, LIS’s high wall thicknesses and volumes, and LSD-print’s intermediate position. These are the supplier’s descriptions of its processes.
What if an opportunity lies in the ability to address a challenge that another AM process couldn’t meet?
Lunar research also needs distinction from flight use: in 2018, ESA described tests with regolith simulant, followed by process-adaptation studies. These did not establish operational production on the Moon.
Most applications enabled by AM usually strive to address the challenges raised by their conventional manufacturing processes counterparts. That’s the reason why you’re likely to see the comparison with a given type of traditional manufacturing process. In this case, for ceramic AM to thrive, it could be interesting to explore its ability to address a challenge that another AM process fails to address.
Vincent POIRIER, CEO of ceramic 3D printing service bureau Novadditive, believes that all types of ceramic AM processes can create value in the automotive and/or aerospace industries. According to Poirier, ceramic AM has a unique way to create “unfeasible” shapes with enhanced properties. That being said, the expert states that the differentiation shouldn’t be a comparison between AM processes, but rather the choice of the right technical material.
Among the important criteria that manufacturers should take into account to choose the ideal technical ceramic for production, one notes the mechanical and thermal properties, stiffness and density as well as the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE).
The “High Value vs High Volume” reality
It shouldn’t be a decision between “quality” and “quantity” as quality must always be part of the equation. It’s rather a discussion about where the added value has mostly been seen.
Automotive requirements vary by function and volume. The alumina piston announced for Spyros Panopoulos Automotive’s Chaos Ultracar project using XJet technology illustrates an achievable geometry. This article does not provide service-qualification results or serial production volumes for that part. The example therefore cannot determine the volume-production capabilities of all ceramic AM.
Potestio notes that, in the automotive industry, there is definite potential for innovation via ceramic AM, particularly in those applications where miniaturization and extreme levels of complexity would greatly increase efficiency. In such examples, ceramic AM can really support the development of powerful solutions for e-mobility and future wireless systems.
For components exposed to high heat fluxes and aerodynamic loads, requirements depend on mission, geometry and flight conditions. A prototype is not a qualification. One temperature or load cannot characterize all launcher and hypersonic-aircraft parts.
The business case can involve high-value small series or larger volumes. Both require consideration of the full chain: feedstock, printing, debinding, sintering, finishing and inspection. Mass production is not a universal condition for relevance.
Last but not least…
Our dossier on the current manufacturing landscape of Ceramic Additive Manufacturing revealed that, with 8 main types of processes, the ceramic 3D printing market is overcoming its days of hype to focus on how it will cater to different industries’ needs. This conversation matters as the growth of AM technologies depends on an economic perspective that should not be overlooked: “the more applications there are, the more materials will be developed, and the more printers will evolve or be introduced to the market”. In the ceramic 3D printing market especially, understanding the gap between technology recognition and technology usage can make all the difference and open up a whole range of new applications in this sector.
This article was first published in the January/February 2023 issue of 3D ADEPT Mag.
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