KIT develops ceramic-metal co-printing technology, potentially expanding to precision medical manufacturing fields such as dentistry.

Source: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

DentalGoodNews | Recently, the wbk Institute of Production Science at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) developed a universal binder system within its multi-material ceramic Additive Manufacturing (AM) project (CeraMMAM). This system enables the combination of different ceramic materials, or ceramics with metals, in a single manufacturing process.

According to official disclosures, the technology is based on Vat Photopolymerization, printing layer by layer using a photosensitive material containing ceramic or metal particles. The core of the technology lies in KIT's universal binder system, composed of liquid polymers, functional additives, and photoinitiators. This ensures a stable connection between different materials during the printing phase, followed by debinding and Sintering processes to achieve component densification. Officials stated that this process can produce composite components with contradictory properties, such as ceramic gears that are flexible internally but extremely hard on the surface.

KIT researcher Chantal-Liv Lehmann stated that this universal binder system can manufacture multi-material components with novel or even partially contradictory properties. The process holds potential applications in aerospace, medical, and mechanical engineering fields. For example, it can be used to produce customized bone and dental implants, or wear- and heat-resistant components with precisely controlled sintering zones and porosity. Additionally, the research team is exploring the feasibility of combining electrically insulating ceramics with conductive metal structures.

On the industrial side of the dental sector, the application of 3D Printing in the production of products such as dentures has been adopted by some companies for cost and efficiency optimization. According to a previous report by DENTALGOODNEWS (Leading Dental Industry Media, DGN), Beijing Yingguan Dental introduced 3D Printing technology for denture production in its 2025 annual report, disclosing that 3D Printing technology drove a year-on-year reduction in overall operating costs by 4.73%.