Incus develops a metal 3D printing process based on lithography

Incus is a startup based in Vienna, it came about thanks to a collaboration between several engineers from Lithoz, an expert in ceramic additive manufacturing. In fact, this young company has developed a metal 3D printing process based on a photopolymerization technique. This allows it to obtain aesthetic parts with an improved surface finish, as the technology can process very fine powders. Incus has now developed four beta machines that are currently being tested by European manufacturers. We met with Gerald Mitteramskogler, CEO of the company, to learn more about how the technology works, its applications and Incus’ future projects.

3DN: Can you present yourself and your link with 3D printing technologies?

Gerald Mitteramskogler

My introduction to the 3D printing world was during my master studies in mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Vienna. I was working with lithography-based printing of bone replacement and implant material out of ceramics. I was also in charge of an old Direkt Ink Writing printer from formerly Objet (now known as Stratasys). Due to the lack of spare parts (it was one of the oldest models), I sometimes had to get creative concerning the maintenance of components. These trials and tribulations provided me a great insight into the engineering of an industrial 3D printer. I continued with my PhD at the same institute with the topic of 3D printing dental crowns and bridges and selectively colouring them in one single step.

3D printing is so fascinating to me because you get to immediately see what you are producing because it is literally being built before your eyes. There is a lot of trial and error in developing something new and working on a challenge, but there is always a great satisfaction in making adjustments to the parameters to fix a problem and getting to see your great results right away.