Dutch ceramics manufacturing company FORMATEC has announced it is expanding its production service capabilities with the addition of in-house ceramic 3D printing. The company, which has specialized in Ceramic Injection Molding (CIM) for over two decades, is excited to offer ceramic additive manufacturing and to deliver a new class of ceramic parts to its clients.

FORMATEC has been interested in ceramic AM since as early as 2012, which led it to form ADMATEC in collaboration with ECN and Innotech Europe. Today, ADMATEC offers a series of ceramic 3D printers based on its Admaflex DLP technology, including the recently released Admaflex 300 for high-volume production.

FORMATEC’s facility, which houses CIM, MIM and 3D printing technologies, manufactures parts for many industries, but primarily the chemical, medical and aesthetical sectors. By adding ceramic AM to its arsenal of manufacturing processes, the company will have even more tools to produce the types of products needed in these industries, which require excellent properties and finish qualities. It will also increase its focus on serving the high tech and exclusive consumer goods industries.

Above all, the addition of in-house ceramic AM to its service will enable the Dutch company to print ceramic parts with more complex geometries, while also reducing lead times, labor and costs. The company also emphasizes that properties of 3D printed ceramic parts are equivalent to CIM parts because of the use of “equal raw material”.

“With our team we can offer our customers added value through our extensive knowledge and experience with ceramics as a CIM pioneer,” said René Bult, General Manager at FORMATEC. “This combined with the almost endless possibilities that 3D printing offers we are excited for the opportunities that lie ahead.”

FORMATEC now offers five different ways of shaping ceramics, which will enable it to meet the needs of its clients to a more exacting degree. The company has already commenced its ceramic AM production and is taking orders.

“We’ve chosen 3D printing because we wanted to compare this quite new and interesting technique with ‘standard’ ceramics manufacturing,” explained Peter Glajc, Mechanical Engineer at Thermo Fisher Scientific. “3D printing was cheaper and faster.”