#3DStartup: Glassomer, advancing 3D glass printing

Glassomer is a German startup that has developed a 3D glass printing technology. A method that we had already discussed in the case of an MIT project. As a result, this young company based in Freiburg, Germany, has decided to develop its own 3D glass printing technology and market it, an innovation that made it worthy of being our 3D startup of the month! We met Frederik Kotz, co-founder and Chief Scientist of Glassomer, to learn more about the startup’s projects and the future of glass in the 3D printing sector.

3DN: Can you introduce yourself and tell us more about the origins of Glassomer?

Our startup Glassomer has developed and patented a new revolutionary process for shaping glass. Glass is difficult to shape because it is melted at very high temperatures, making it difficult to use in casting moulds or other shaping methods. This is why we have developed special materials, which we call “Glassomers” – we are able to shape them like plastics – liquid glassomers can be hardened by heat or light, solid glassomers can be carved, drilled, milled, or embossed. By heating in the oven, we convert the “Glassormers” into pure quartz glass. The Glassomer technology was developed in our working group, the NeptunLab, and our publications on the subject immediately attracted interest from a wide range of industries. We were receiving requests for very special glass components that had not yet been manufactured. Our ambition was awakened to turn our technology into a product.

The Glassomer Team | Credits: Glassomer

3DN: Can you explain how your nanocomposite works?

Our nanocomposite (the “Glassomer”) consists of a very high proportion of the finest glass powder and a binder made of plastic. Due to the binder, the materials behave like plastics and can also be processed like plastics. It is only after processing that the components enter the furnace and are converted into glass. During this process the plastic (binder) is removed and the glass powder combines to form a transparent glass component, a process called “sintering”. Since this sintering process does not require a temperature as high as when melting glass, the glass components do not deform or melt. The sintered glass components are chemically and physically indistinguishable from commercial quartz glass.