This contribution presents lithography-based ceramic manufacturing, a 3D printing technology dedicated for fabricating precise and strong components from different ceramic materials. At this, it especially explores the extension of this additive manufacturing technology towards combining different materials in one printed component. Using multi-material combinations in 3D printing is garnering widespread attention due to the wide range of possibilities that it provides to realize parts which are more functional and have improved properties. Using this approach, it is not only possible to combine different ceramics in different layers of the printed component, but also the combination within the same layer. First successful trials that will be presented within this contribution include the combination of alumina and zirconia-toughened zirconia, alumina and zirconia, as well as glass ceramics and metal, respectively. These initial results show that this technological approach holds great potential to path the way from classical single material structures to bi-material components and subsequently multi-material and functionally-graded ceramics. In addition to the presentation of the general feasibility of manufacturing multi-ceramic components using lithography-based additive manufacturing, this contribution will also focus on first actual applications by showcasing how the lithography-based ceramic manufacturing technology can be used to design high strength alumina ceramics by employing the multi-material approach.

Martin Schwentenwein has a background in chemical engineering and polymer chemistry from Technical University Vienna. In 2012, after finishing his PhD thesis on developing tough photopolymer materials for stereolithography, he started working at Lithoz. There he serves as Chief Scientific Officer and R&D Coordinator.