ToMax · Project

3D-Printing Complex Ceramic Parts That Traditional Methods Cannot Make

manufacturingTestedTRL 6

tomax-h2020.eu

Imagine you need a ceramic part with an intricate shape — like a tiny turbine blade or a medical instrument tip. Traditional methods carve or mold ceramics, wasting material and limiting what shapes you can create. ToMax built industrial 3D printers that use light to cure ceramic materials layer by layer, producing complex shapes with fine detail down to 15 micrometers — thinner than a human hair. The result: less material waste, lower energy use, and shapes that were previously impossible to manufacture.

By the numbers

75%

More material efficient vs traditional manufacturing

25%

More material efficient vs current additive manufacturing

35%

More energy efficient vs current additive manufacturing

50%

Faster thermal processing procedures

15 µm

Printer resolution

120x75x100 mm³

Demonstrator build volume

EUR 3,157,986

EU contribution to the project

The business problem

What needed solving

Manufacturing complex ceramic parts today means expensive molds, high scrap rates, and severe design limitations. Traditional methods waste up to 75% more material and cannot produce the intricate internal geometries that modern aerospace, medical, and energy applications demand. Companies needing small batches of custom ceramic components face prohibitive tooling costs and long lead times.

The solution

What was built

The project built a demonstrator 3D printing system with a 120x75x100 mm³ build volume and 15 µm resolution, capable of printing alumina, silicon nitride, and cermet parts. They also produced a first ceramic medical component from alumina for endoscopy instruments and delivered prototypes of complex geometries with systematic characterization data.

Audience

Who needs this

Aerospace ceramic component manufacturers needing complex geometriesMedical device companies producing custom ceramic implants or instrumentsTechnical ceramics producers seeking to reduce material waste and energy costsLighting manufacturers using ceramic components for energy-efficient productsR&D departments prototyping ceramic parts before committing to tooling

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Aerospace Components

mid-size

Target: Manufacturers of ceramic turbine blades, heat shields, or engine nozzles

If you are an aerospace parts manufacturer dealing with high scrap rates and design limitations from traditional ceramic machining — this project developed lithography-based 3D printers that are 75% more material efficient than traditional manufacturing. The system achieves 15 µm resolution, enabling complex internal geometries that reduce component weight without sacrificing heat resistance.

Medical Device Manufacturing

SME

Target: Producers of ceramic implants, endoscopy instruments, or dental prosthetics

If you are a medical device company struggling with long lead times and high tooling costs for custom ceramic components — this project built and demonstrated ceramic medical parts made from alumina and silicon nitride. The additive process eliminates molds entirely, allowing patient-specific geometries and faster iteration from design to finished part.

Industrial Ceramics & Lighting

any

Target: Manufacturers of technical ceramics for energy-efficient lighting or electronic substrates

If you are a technical ceramics producer facing pressure to cut energy costs and material waste — this project delivered 3D printing methods that are 35% more energy efficient than current additive approaches and introduced ceramic material recycling for the first time in this technology. The demonstrator system provides a 120x75x100 mm³ build volume suitable for small-batch production runs.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What does this technology cost compared to traditional ceramic manufacturing?

The project did not publish per-part pricing. However, the process eliminates tooling costs entirely — no molds, no cutting tools — and achieves 75% better material efficiency than traditional methods. For complex, low-volume ceramic parts, the cost advantage comes from removing tooling setup and reducing raw material waste.

Can this scale to industrial production volumes?

The project delivered a demonstrator system with a 120x75x100 mm³ build volume and 15 µm resolution. While this is suitable for small-batch and specialty production, scaling to high-volume manufacturing would require further development. The thermal processing was made 50% faster than previous approaches, which is a step toward throughput needed for series production.

What is the IP situation — can I license this technology?

The project was coordinated by TU Wien with 8 industrial partners across 7 countries. IP is likely shared among consortium members. Licensing would need to be negotiated with the coordinator and relevant industrial partners who hold specific patents on the printer hardware, software, or ceramic formulations.

What materials can it actually print?

The project demonstrated printing with alumina, silicon nitride, and cermets (ceramic-metal composites). These are engineering-grade ceramics used in demanding applications — alumina for medical and electrical components, silicon nitride for high-temperature aerospace parts, and cermets for wear-resistant tooling.

How does this compare to other ceramic 3D printing methods?

ToMax specifically targets lithography-based additive manufacturing, which uses light to cure ceramic-loaded photopolymers. Compared to other ceramic AM approaches, the project claims 25% better material efficiency and 35% better energy efficiency. The 15 µm resolution is notably finer than most competing ceramic printing technologies.

Is this ready to use in a regulated industry like medical devices?

The project produced a first ceramic medical component from alumina aimed at endoscopy instruments, with silicon nitride planned for later stages. However, regulatory certification (e.g., MDR, FDA) would still be required. Based on available project data, the demonstrators prove manufacturing feasibility but do not yet constitute certified medical devices.

Consortium

Who built it

The ToMax consortium is strongly industry-driven: 8 out of 10 partners come from industry, with 6 being SMEs — giving an 80% industry ratio that is unusually high for an EU research project. Partners span 7 countries (AT, DE, ES, FI, FR, IT, UK), providing broad European market coverage. TU Wien coordinates and brings deep expertise in lithography-based ceramic printing, while the industrial partners cover software, photopolymers, ceramics, light sources, and system integration. This composition signals that the technology was developed with commercial intent from the start, not as a purely academic exercise.

TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET WIENCoordinator · AT
DESKARTES OYparticipant · FI
OSRAM GMBHparticipant · DE
RAUSCHERT HEINERSDORF - PRESSIG GMBHparticipant · DE
CYCLECO SASparticipant · FR
LITHOZ GMBHparticipant · AT
R2M SOLUTION SRLparticipant · IT
UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE MADRIDparticipant · ES

How to reach the team

Coordinator is Technische Universitaet Wien (Austria). SciTransfer can facilitate an introduction to the research team.

Order a report on this consortium See TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET WIEN profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore licensing this ceramic 3D printing technology or discuss a pilot project? Contact SciTransfer for a direct introduction to the ToMax team.

Order a report on this topic More in Manufacturing & Industry 4.0