MTC invests in new hub for sustainable additive manufacturing

The United Kingdom’s Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), a research and tech organization dedicated to advancing manufacturing, will be launching a new hub for sustainable additive manufacturing. The hub, which will be equipped with both polymer and ceramic 3D printing solutions, aims to support the design and production of net zero products as well promote end-to-end circularity in manufacturing.

As mentioned, the MTC’s new hub will be focused on the design and production of polymer and technical ceramic parts. Specifically, it will be operating a Carbon M3 system to process high-performance polymers for a range of net zero aerospace, defense and energy products. On the ceramic front, the sustainable hub for additive manufacturing will be running a Lithoz CeraFab S65 and an Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence desktop system. These will be used to produce parts made from technical ceramics such as alumina, silicon nitride and aluminum nitride.

Lithoz, an industry leader in ceramics AM, recently became an MTC member in May 2024. This membership will give the MTC team access to the company’s CeraFab solution. Sherry Ghanizadeh, Senior Research Engineer at MTC, said of the partnership: “We are very excited to be working with Lithoz using their advanced CeraFab system to push the boundaries of ceramic AM across sectors, including Power and Energy and Defence.”

The new hub for sustainable additive manufacturing will also integrate systems for material reprocessing and recycling. In line with the sustainable mandate and the goal of circularity, these systems, along with polymer granulation and feedstock forming equipment, will facilitate the processing of AM waste and out-of-use parts into new feedstocks.

“As additive manufacturing technology progresses, finding materials that are renewable, bio-based, recycled and recyclable is crucial to enhancing its sustainability credentials,” commented Ross Trepleton, Associate Director for Component Manufacturing at the MTC. “We already collaborate with industry stakeholders—such as Ai Build and Weir—on projects to develop and scale-up the use of more sustainable materials in manufacturing. By investing in more cutting-edge equipment, we can continue to support customers and partners in paving the way for a more environmentally-friendly future for this technology.”