I saw a desktop 3D printer that is designed to print both metal and ceramic materials.
The M.A.T. 3D printer from 3DCeram does exactly that. The printer’s name stands for “Multi Additive Technology”, which hints at what this machine can do.
It is an FFF device at its heart, but with a series of modifications that permit reliable printing of metal and ceramic filaments.
These filaments are mixes of ceramic/metal powder and a polymer binder. Once printed, they must then undergo a two-step post-processing regime that first removes the binder and then sinter the powder together into a solid object.
The filaments pass through the water-cooled print head onto the 200 x 200 x 200 mm build plate in much the same way as you would do with a typical thermoplastic FFF device.
But what about that “multi-additive technology”? It turns out that the M.A.T. 3D printer can swap toolheads. There are several available.
One is a pellet extruder. This allows use of standard pellet materials instead of more expensive filament. However, the most important feature of this toolhead is that you can use many standard injection molding pellets, which are available in many metal and ceramic materials.
Another toolhead is a paste extruder. This allows M.A.T. operators to extrude ceramic slurries in a different approach to producing ceramic objects. 3DCeram explained that slurries can often use plain water as a binder, meaning the post-processing steps are greatly simplified.
Finally, the M.A.T. system can also use a small CNC milling toolhead. This can be used to refine the surface quality of a print after post-processing, for example.
3DCeram’s standard materials for the M.A.T. system include:
- Silicon Carbide (SiC)
- Alumina (Al2O3)
- Zirconia (ZrO2)
- Titanium (Ti6Al4V)
- Stainless Steel (316L & 17-4PH)
- Copper
The M.A.T. system looks to be a versatile option for workshops with intermittent need for producing ceramic and metal parts. However, you’ll also need a sintering furnace to complete the workflow.
Via 3DCeram
