Clay 3D printing today: reliability, scaling, and applications – Interview with VormVrij

VormVrij is a Dutch supplier of ceramic additive-manufacturing equipment focused on paste extrusion with clay. The company positions its systems for studios, education, and small-scale production, with an emphasis on controlled material flow and mechanically robust, serviceable designs.

The LUTUM platform is built around serviceable, mostly metal construction: 4 mm steel plating, aluminum extrusion, and stainless components, with an explicit focus on longevity and repairs using standard parts. In the LUTUM 5 configuration, VormVrij lists a 32-bit control system with Wi-Fi and a 7-inch touchscreen, plus industrial motion components and a stainless print surface and clay extruder intended for stable paste flow.

For larger parts and higher throughput, BRUTUM scales the same paste-deposition approach to a 60 × 80 × 90 cm build volume and supports up to four extruders. VormVrij also notes ongoing process development around handling different clay consistencies and multi-clay operation, which remains a key variable in ceramic extrusion printing.

Interview: VormVrij founders discuss clay 3D printing

In their conversation with 3druck.com, VormVrij founders Yao van den Heerik and Marlieke Wijnakker discuss how clay 3D printing has evolved into a more predictable additive process, and what lessons they learned while refining their extrusion hardware. They touch on scaling up, making operation easier for newcomers, and where they expect the most practical use cases to grow next.

VormVrij has been exploring the possibilities of 3D printing with clay for years. What do you see as the most important advances that have shaped the technology since you started?

Developments in more affordable 3D metal printing have been very important for us, as they enabled faster and easier testing of which screws were best for our v10 Clay Extruder, as well as 3D printing our stainless-steel Dual Nozzle. 3D clay printing started out using only one type of very soft clay. As we soon felt the need for soft clay for jewelry but hard clay for large structures—and every possibility in between—we focused on enabling printing with different viscosities for a wide range of designs. 

Color-wise, you can put different kinds of clay in a cartridge and let the change happen randomly, or you can use two extruders with either a dual nozzle combining into one extrusion or two nozzles for controlled color swaps, provided the file ensures no interference with the print. With the dual nozzle, there is a small delay where the first color is still in the nozzle when the second color starts extruding. If this moiré part is unwanted, you can avoid it by inserting a short purge in the file before continuing with the second color, and vice versa.

The BRUTUM system takes clay printing to an industrial scale. What were the biggest challenges in building a larger and more robust machine while keeping precision high?

The BRUTUM achieves its precision by using four extruders for one output instead of just one. This is why it can deliver a lot of material while also dosing the extrusion very precisely. To keep enabling our wide viscosity range, this requires the clay to move along with the head. The weight of six XL clay cartridges needed to print larger parts had to be transported smoothly; therefore, a rectangular frame and much stronger motors were necessary, resulting in a very powerful yet precise machine.

Achieving consistent results in clay printing depends not only on the machine but also on user experience. How is VormVrij improving ease of use and helping operators fine-tune their process more efficiently?

To immediately make full use of a LUTUM printer—or if there is no experience in ceramics or 3D printing—we offer training either at our own facility or on site. For special outputs like very small or very large prints, or unique printing pastes, we provide customized assistance. All other users can easily work with our printer guided by the manual, or find us and each other through our Instagram page for additional tips and advice.

Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunities for clay-based 3D printing in the coming years — in art, design, or perhaps even construction?

Looking at construction, 3D clay printing can be used for the production of ornaments in the broadest sense of the word, like waterspouts, mailboxes, facade decorations, insect hotels, rainwater collection, and restorations thereof. In the chemical industry, one of the most exciting opportunities for clay-based 3D printing lies in creating materials with a shape that directly influences how they work—for example, catalysts or components that interact with electromagnetic fields. We can precisely design these geometries to improve performance and efficiency. Using customized pasty materials with our LUTUM 3D clay printer makes it possible to produce highly functional structures in a cost-effective and sustainable way. 

Young artists who have more knowledge of and experience with the digital world can easily make the step to 3D clay printing. For them, clay printing opens up entirely new ways to combine digital creativity and concepts with traditional craftsmanship. Applications that used only metal or plastic before now enable designers to choose more sustainable materials such as ceramics. This enables the realization of highly complex geometries, novel surface textures, and intricate structures. Combining digital precision and material expressiveness allows for new modes of creative experimentation, customization, and interdisciplinary collaboration. In the coming years, clay 3D printing is expected to play an increasingly prominent role in areas such as contemporary sculpture, architectural elements, interior design pieces, and functional objects, fostering innovation at the intersection of technology and aesthetics—blurring the line between art and utility.

More information on VormVrij can be found on the company’s website.