HRL Laboratories and Prodways advance SiOC ceramic 3D printing

A collaboration between HRL Laboratories, a research company jointly owned by General Motors and Boeing, and Prodways, a leading additive manufacturing company, is pushing materials science into new territory. By combining HRL’s expertise in 3D printed ceramics (which dates back over a decade) with Prodways’ high-resolution digital light projection technology, the companies are demonstrating how polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs) could overcome long-standing challenges in 3D printed ceramics.

Unlike traditional powder-based methods, PDCs begin as liquid polymers that can be shaped into intricate components before being converted into lightweight, heat-resistant ceramics through high-temperature pyrolysis. This shaping-first approach sidesteps many of the engineering problems tied to binder burnout and sintering. For industries like aerospace, energy, and defense – where reliability under extreme conditions is non-negotiable – the potential is significant.

Using Prodways’ ProMaker L5000 DLP system, HRL scientists produced fully densified silicon-oxycarbide ceramics. Silicon oxycarbide (SiOC), also known as oxycarbide glass, is an amorphous, glassy ceramic material composed of silicon, carbon, and oxygen in varying proportions, obtained through the pyrolysis of organosilicon compounds.

Silicon oxycarbide-based materials are of interest due to their unique properties, including high-temperature resistance, mechanical strength, chemical durability and corrosion resistance. The versatility of the silicon oxycarbide chemistry allows the modification of properties for different fields. Over the last decade, attention has been focused on the potential applications of SiOC materials in biomedical fields.

The experiments revealed that reinforcement control is key: finely dispersed small particles improve strength, while oversized inclusions introduce microcracks during the polymer-to-ceramic transition.

The collaboration points toward a roadmap where optimized resin formulations and reinforcement geometries enable the production of defect-free, aerospace-grade ceramic components directly from polymer precursors. Beyond proving feasibility, the research establishes fundamental guidelines for designing tougher ceramic matrix composites through additive manufacturing.

Prodways is increasingly focused on ceramic additive manufacturing. Its latest Ceram Pro 365 3D printers enable designers and engineers to explore new materials, optimize complex geometries, and accelerate the development of high-performance components for aerospace, defense, energy, and beyond.