The Institute of Physics of Materials of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IPM CAS) in Brno is the first institution in the Czech Republic to commission a CeraFab Multi 2M30 printer from Lithoz. The system was installed as part of the MEBioSys project funded by the EU and the Czech Ministry of Education, which aims to develop sensorically active, hierarchical structures for medical and engineering applications.
The CeraFab Multi 2M30 is designed for multi-material printing of high-performance ceramics and enables the combination of materials with contrasting properties, such as piezoelectric and insulating ceramics, in a single component. This opens up new possibilities for the production of bio-inspired implants with integrated sensor technology. Such implants should be able to provide status information from inside the body without the need for additional surgical interventions. The integration of piezoelectric elements enables continuous status monitoring in real time.
Another research focus within the project is on adaptive aircraft wings, whose vibration behavior can be adjusted by specifically influencing the material stiffness. This involves passing electrical currents through conductive layers within the ceramic structure in order to dynamically shift the resonance frequency and thus reduce structural fatigue.
„As a result of our previous work, we recognized the need for a multi-material 3D printing solution to produce the complex structures required for our research,“ says Dr. Zdeněk Chlup, Head of Brittle Fracture Group at IPM CAS. „The CeraFab Multi 2M30’s ability to print two materials in a single layer opens up a world of possibilities, especially in the integration of piezoelectric ceramics with metals and polymers. This technology will enable us to advance our research in ways we couldn’t before.“
The first successful test prints confirm the potential of the new printing system to fulfill complex requirements in material development and significantly advance application-oriented research.
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