Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies (3D printing technology through which strong and resistant parts, prototypes and models can be obtained) are now widely applied in various industries and are easily accepted in the market as the route to rapid prototyping and production. AM technologies have also contributed to the growing use of other digital technologies, from 3D modeling to 3D scanning (or reverse engineering), to support product development and prototyping.
The applications of this technology are wide-ranging in industry and enjoy several advantages, such as:
Significant reduction in product development cycles (from the design phase to the prototype);
Manufacturing functional prototypes (in the final product material);
Small series of products in a short space of time and at an acceptable cost;
Manufacturing artifacts with complex geometries (which is not possible using conventional techniques).
In the ceramics industry, the use of AM can be broken down into 2 strands:
Models and prototypes: Application of the production of models and prototypes of ceramic pieces, using non-ceramic materials (mostly plastics), to obtain non-functional prototypes for evaluating the form and aesthetics of the design or for the production of models or moulds to be used at the start of the production process of a new product.
Functional and product prototypes: Manufacture of parts and products in ceramic materials, both traditional materials, used in products such as decorative and utilitarian tableware, and technical materials, used for high-performance applications such as industrial systems or machines, medical implants, or luxury jewelry.
The use of additive manufacturing technologies in ceramic industry processes is now a reality and represents an opportunity for this industry in the future. The high maturity of 3D scanning, modeling, and printing will progressively encourage the wider adoption of these technologies, thus helping to reduce the length of product development cycles, to create innovative and more complex products, and also to promote a greater level of interaction with the customer in the product development phases.
