3DCeram has just recently introduced its new direct pellet extrusion head on its MAT Machine for prototyping of technical ceramics and metals. The Pellet Head, as the name suggests, works directly with injection molding pellets or granulates. The 3D-Printing of pellets offers several advantages like material-cost saving, water debdinding, and recyclability.

Robocasting is a well-established process ceramicists use to extrude ceramic slurry though a nozzle. The process works with slurry or pastes instead of filament or pellets and requires a short and straightforward process to produce the 3d-printing material. In addition, binders like water can be used to prepare slurry such that debdinding and sintering can be carried out in a single furnace. The flexibility in terms of slurry preparation comes at the cost of reduced extrusion control and higher surface roughness. 3DCeram offers heads for single-component as well as two-component robocasting.

The M.A.T. machines capability to host a CNC milling tool in addition to a pellet head for green machining improves surface finish of the parts – which can have a significant influence on the mechanical characteristics of the manufactured part. The added freedom of this green machining on the same machine eliminates the need for clamps and fixtures, and reduces the cost and time normally associated with hard machining of sintered parts. The green machining can be done after printing or can be done simultaneously with printing (printing 5 layers and machining, and then printing again..).