From prototyping to serial production - 3D-printing in ceramic manufacturing

For two decades, Additive Manufacturing (AM) was used mainly for the rapid prototyping of visual or functional models. However, with growing awareness of its potential and increasing performance of 3D-printers, it becomes more and more relevant for small- and medium-scale production. Quality Management (QM) was no major issue in the period of prototyping but - besides production cost, process integration and automation - it becomes a key enabling factor for the implementation of AM methods in industrial production. It turns out that several challenges are to be met especially by ceramic AM to comply with customary manufacturing methods. © 2020 Vulkan-Verlag GmbH. All rights reserved.