Why Are Manufacturers Betting on Ceramic FFF 3D Printing?

Since its arrival on the additive manufacturing market in 2018, Nanoe has been working to democratize the use of ceramic and metal FFF 3D printing with an accessible and easy-to-implement process. While its filaments have made their way into laboratories and research centers in France and internationally, they are gaining more and more ground among manufacturers who are banking on integrating additive manufacturing in-house. The French manufacturer’s ceramic materials offer several interesting thermal, chemical and mechanical properties for demanding activities such as orbital welding, the production of parts for boilers or the manufacture of turned parts. Thanks to Zetamix filaments, several international manufacturers have been able to increase their agility by reducing production lead times and machine downtime, as well as reducing costs.

Among the users of Zetamix ceramic additive manufacturing solutions are three manufacturers: MGB, SAPCO and Orbital Service. 3D technologies have offered them many advantages and notably all three have been seduced by the thermal capabilities of ceramic filaments, including zirconia and alumina. These three manufacturers had very specific problems that were difficult to solve via subtractive manufacturing, or at least at much higher costs and times.

More and more manufacturers are integrating additive manufacturing (photo credits: SAPCO)

Alumina, a 3D printing material resistant to high temperatures

MGB is a French company created in 1956, specialized in the manufacture of turned parts for the connector industry. It works mainly with players in the medical, aerospace and electronics industries, players who need custom-made screws. These screws have different levels of hardness, with generally the bottom of the screw being less resistant than the top. To produce this type of custom screw, MGB has developed a specific machine that anneals the top part via induction to provide the necessary hardness.