Advanced technical ceramics materials are resistant to extremely high temperatures, wear and abrasion, chemicals, and corrosion. They can provide very good electrical insulation and be very dimensionally stable over a very broad temperature range. These unique properties make advanced technical ceramics the best choice for many—and growing—demanding applications. And now ceramics additive manufacturing / ceramics 3D printing has made it easier than ever before to work with advanced technical ceramics materials. Marvel Medtech Advanced Manufacturing specializes in ceramics additive manufacturing services / ceramics 3D printing services and is available to meet your custom ceramics manufacturing needs. We offer the revolutionary patented NanoParticle Jetting™ (NPJ™) system from XJet Ltd. to create high-precision custom ceramic parts to meet each customer’s unique needs. As an experienced custom ceramic manufacturer, we have developed unique expertise in using the XJet NPJ™ AM/3DP system. We’ve delivered hundreds of custom ceramic parts with complex part geometries and demanding design details. Our in-depth understanding of the XJet NPJ™ system for high-precision custom ceramics manufacturing has helped clients exploit the potential of advanced technical ceramics to the fullest.
An Overview of Custom Ceramic Manufacturing Services at Marvel Medtech Advanced Manufacturing
XJet’s NPJ TM is a proprietary technology that builds custom ceramic parts layer-by-layer in ultra-thin (10 micrometer) slices for high dimensional precision and small feature size capability. Solid nanoparticles of ceramic in a liquid suspension are loaded safely into the printer. This helps operators avoid using any hazardous powders for loading the material into the printer, and also minimizes raw material waste. Next, the printer heads featuring thousands of inkjet nozzles jet millions of fine drops of ceramic and support ink onto the build tray in ultrafine layers. The support ink helps keep the ceramic particles intact. Also, liquid jetting in ultrathin layers helps produce high-quality parts of unlimited geometrical complexity. Once the part printing completes, the water-soluble support material is gently removed in a water bath without affecting the part. This helps avoid costly post-processing. After cleaning and drying, the green ceramic parts are sintered in a similar way as traditional ceramic parts.
Materials We Work With
As a custom ceramic parts manufacturer, we regularly work with the below advanced technical ceramics:
- High Purity Alumina (Al2O3): We feature alumina with purity of 99.9+%. Ceramic alumina is known for its high durability, exceptional hardness, and high temperature resistance. It is frequently used as an insulator in electrical applications and where chemical and corrosion resistance are important design considerations.
- Yittria (Y2O3) – Partially Stabilized Zirconia (ZrO2): Zirconia ceramic partially stabilized with yttria is one of the strongest ceramic materials with excellent mechanical properties and superb toughness. It is biocompatible and is commonly used for dental implants, surgical tools and other medical device applications.
Material Properties
| Material | Zirconia (ZrO2) | Alumina (Al2O3) |
| Density (g/cc) | 6.02 | 3.92 |
| Hardness (GPa) | 12.7 | 14.5 |
| Flex Strength (MPa) | 1240 | 430 |
| Fracture Toughness (MPa/m) | 13 | 4-5 |
| Thermal Conductivity (W/mk) | 2.2 | 37 |
Benefits of Custom Ceramic Manufacturing with XJet NPJ™ 3D Printing
Custom ceramic manufacturing using XJet NPJ™ 3D printing is rapidly gaining popularity because it enables a whole new level of design freedom to create complex part designs that cannot be manufactured in any other way. Advantages of custom ceramic additive manufacturing with XJet NPJ™ include:
- High Level of Customization: As said before, Marvel Medtech Advanced Manufacturing has developed unique expertise in the application of the XJet NPJ™ technology. We have been able to push the limits of the NPJ™ capabilities to meet our customer’s unique customization needs and enable new technical ceramics applications.
- Great Design Freedom: XJet NPJ™ technology has enabled a whole new paradigm of design freedom and flexibility. There is virtually no limitation on part geometries and intricate features that one can include in custom AM ceramic parts.
- Quick Turnaround Times: Unlike ”legacy” ceramics manufacturing technologies, additive manufacturing requires no additional tooling. This helps assure quick turnaround times and has helped our clients accelerate their time-to-market capabilities.
- Profitability: Although additive manufacturing is projected as an expensive technology by many, accuracy, turnaround times, and design freedom are a few factors that make the technology profitable for the production of custom ceramic parts.
- Sustainable Manufacturing: Custom ceramic manufacturing using the XJet NPJ™ 3D printing process can be hailed as sustainable manufacturing because it reduces raw material waste to virtually nothing. High-precision jetting of ceramic nanoparticles suspended in ink enables use of only the amount of raw materials required to build the part model.
Custom Ceramic Parts
Custom ceramic parts play a pivotal role in achieving unparalleled precision, durability, and reliability across various industries. As an innovative and experienced ceramic parts manufacturer, we have had the privilege of serving clients across medical, aerospace/defense, energy, automotive/transportation, and other industries with custom ceramic AM parts. The following are a few custom ceramics parts that we’ve manufactured:
- Surgical tools
- Insulation components
- Heating components and heat recovery components
- Heat exchangers
- Housings
- Clamps and fixing supports
Feel free to contact our team today for any questions on our custom ceramic manufacturing services. You can call us at 1-877-345-6261 or 1-608-688-0868. You can Request a Quote for Your Project to receive a secure file upload link.