Lithoz, a market leader in ceramic 3D printing machines, has announced a strategic financial investment in AMAREA Technology, a multi-material 3D printing specialist. Following the Formnext 2023 event, where Lithoz also displayed its flagship printer, the CeraFab Multi 2M30, the deal with AMAREA was sealed and formally announced to the world.
AMAREA Technology, a multi-material 3D printing specialist, has created a revolutionary 3D printing technology that can process up to six different materials in a single print run. As a result, their Multi Material Jetting (MMJ) technology enables entirely new multidimensional combinations of various ceramics, metals, polymers, and composites in both individual parts and functionally graded components.
Multi-material 3D Printing with six materials
The high-filled thermoplastic base material developed and provided by AMAREA Technology is dispensed drop by drop in the style of LP injection moulding. Because of their nanoliter size, the drops solidify in a fraction of a second, significantly speeding up the printing process. Parts achieve a significantly higher level of accuracy than material extrusion processes, for example, thanks to selective droplet-based printing technology. This allows for a material change every 200 m, allowing for additive manufacturing of highly functionalized components.
“We had a great response to our multi-material 3D-printed heaters and igniters for high temperatures above 1000 degrees, which enable applications in harsh environments, too.”
– Steven Weingarten, CEO, AMAREA Technology
The resulting functionally graded components have significantly higher density and surface quality than those produced using other material extrusion techniques, for example. Furthermore, requested porosities can be precisely defined at any selected position within the component. More than 25 different materials have already been introduced to the MMJ production technique, and the portfolio is constantly expanding, while critical parameters such as filling levels, porosity, gradient, layer height, and density can be freely and precisely defined.
“With our proud acquisition of a strategic share in AMAREA Technology, we can’t wait to see how our ultra-precise Lithoz LCM technology and AMAREA Technology’s MMJ system pointing on maximum material diversity will work hand in hand to unlock previously unachievable potentials. This will create the next generation of multi-material 3D-printed applications from the semiconductor to aerospace industry – as first inquiries have already proven.”
– Dr. Johannes Homa, CEO, Lithoz
Steven Weingarten added “The partnership with Lithoz and their belief in our technology inspire us. Lithoz’s global reputation and its successful path to becoming the market leader in ceramic 3D printing are a model for the mission we are now taking in the field of multi-material 3D printing. We would like to express our gratitude to Johannes Homa and Johannes Benedikt for their trust and look forward to the exciting journey together.”
About AMAREA Technology: AMAREA Technology GmbH was established in February 2023 and is based in Dresden, Germany. AMAREA Technology is a system manufacturer of high-performance printing materials and multi-material 3D printers capable of processing multiple high-performance materials in a single step to create highly functional components. Fraunhofer IKTS, Europe’s largest applied research institute for ceramics, founded the company.
