With a strong lineup of exhibitors, this year's ceramitec - the international leading trade fair for ceramics - will be the global hotspot for the AM of technical ceramics. Lithoz will use this important stage to premiere no less than three brand new variants of some of the most popular ceramic materials, specifically streamlined for industrial serial production. Further highlights are many applications from serial production shown at ceramitec for the first time, and the new CeraFab System S320 with five times bigger build platform in action at the booth.
To further streamline the flawless processing of Lithoz alumina for industrial production, the new LithaLox launched at ceramitec combines the advantages of high-purity alumina with the uncomplicated processability of the more versatile variants. Improvements include achievable wall thicknesses of up to 12 mm and an increased solid loading of 55 Vol %. This high degree of filling results in a lower and more uniform shrinkage behavior and outstanding ceramic properties such as bending strength observed in internal trials.
The new LithaCon zirconia variant premiering at ceramitec is fine-tuned to further minimize variation of final parts when production runs at industrial level. Apart from the upgrade in fracture toughness and cleanability, visitors involved in zirconia applications will be captivated by significantly increased Weibull modulus, indicating the variation of bending strength values within produced lots. In industrial terms, the improved Weibull modulus as a reliability parameter is directly linked to a significantly reduced rate of quality deviation from targeted values of finished parts. In particular, the optimized formulation of LithaCon results in an excellent material fit for parts featuring thread geometries, such as endosseous screws of dental implants.
As Lithoz has received more and more specific interest from the MedTech industry, ranging from dental implants over surgical tools to other medical devices like shavers or burs, the strong demand for a Medical Grade LithaCon ATZ can now be met. Alumina-toughened zirconia (ATZ) combines the best material properties of alumina and zirconia. Based on Lithoz's ISO 13485 certified quality management, the new medical grade material offers perfect biocompatibility, wall thicknesses of up to 17 mm and a bending strength of measured 993 MPa.
Apart from launching three new ceramic materials for industrial production, Lithoz further imprints their leading role in bringing industrial applications to life. Filling their "manifesto for serial production in ceramic 3D printing" with life, Lithoz delivers a solid blueprint for how to fully tap into the potential of ceramic AM. Their showcase once again highlights the pivotal role of Lithoz's global "Ceramic 3D Factory" network of experienced LCM contract manufacturers and research institutes as a key driver of the current pace at which OEMs worldwide are adopting LCM-based ceramic 3D printing.
Highlight Real-Life Components to be Seen at Ceramitec for the First Time
- A S320 build platform filled with a range of 46 ceramic casting cores used for building single crystal turbine blades for next-gen aircraft engines. These demonstrators represent those produced by Safran Aircraft Engines who recently installed three Lithoz CeraFab System S65 printers at their Gennevilliers facility near Paris.
- A highly complex atomic layer deposition (ALD) ring for semicon, made of alumina with a remarkable diameter of 380 mm. Thanks to ultra-precise LCM technology, the ring features exceptionally thin-walled optimized flow channels, resulting in a verifiably extended uptime from one to nine months and tripled production output. Design by Plasway, produced by Alumina Systems.
- A strong medical section will present the world's first patient-specific ceramic earmoulds for hearing aids in serial production, designed and marketed by Swiss company OC GmbH and mass-customized by CADdent (Germany) on Lithoz CeraFab S65 Medical printers, will celebrate their first ceramitec appearance. Particular attention is also given to the newest exhibits in bone replacement, meanwhile backed up by more than 25 publications and clinical studies.
- Visitors from the dental industry will see 132 zirconia dental implants on one single CeraFab S65 Medical platform. Average build time per implant is measured at less than 2.5 minutes, at a calculated cost per unit of less than 5 EUR. Made from the new medical grade zirconia, visitors can also examine these implants in a touch & feel experience.
- A true highlight for everyone involved in thermal management are the many sintered aluminium nitride parts on display. Thanks to its impressive CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) closely matching the CTE of silicon, this material is currently in the center of attention of the semicon industry. An impressive sintered 100 x 100 mm cooling plate with ultra-precise inner channels is the biggest AlN part ever printed on a Lithoz CeraFab printer.
In line with the growing momentum of the "Ceramic 3D Factory", a great number of functional components will be on display at the stands of contract manufacturers and partners using LCM technology: Alumina Systems (A6.323C), FGK (Germany, A5.219), Fraunhofer IKTS (A5.213N), Mitsui Kinzoku (Japan, A5.205), Sinto Advanced Ceramics Europe (Germany, A6.220), Steinbach (Germany, A6.229), Yugyokuen Ceramics (Japan, A6.529).
Johannes Homa, Lithoz CEO, on the significance of ceramitec as the leading global trade fair for technical ceramics: "Our LCM technology has matured a lot and most inquiries for parts get straight to the point. It's all about the application and its repeatability in serial production. Our persistent focus on creating real-world components leveraged by our Ceramic 3D Factory network gives a solid blueprint for projects across many industries. ceramitec had recognized this innovation pull at an early stage and now we are really looking forward to meeting the full set of user industries on this year's main stage for high-performance ceramics."
Lithoz at ceramitec: Hall A6 | Booth 332.