Researchers at HRL Laboratory in Malibu, California claim that they have the technology to create 3D printed ceramics with incredible heat resistant properties. The material thus created is said to be at least ten times stronger than other similar conventional materials.

The latest invention by the researchers is believed to have overcome the limitations associated with traditional ceramic processing. The availability of a ceramic material that retains its strength even when 3D printed has wide applications in the aerospace industry, such as manufacturing of hypersonic jets and spaceships for agencies like NASA and ESA.

The ceramic polymer resin developed by the researchers can withstand temperatures beyond 17,000 degrees Celsius. In addition, it has the capability to be moulded into wide variety of complex shapes. Gizmag reports that the new material is also expected to be resistant to corrosion and abrasion.

Since the ceramics currently available are either not suitable for 3D printing or crack up if 3D printed at all, the recent invention seems like a breakthrough in the field of ceramics.

“We have a pre-ceramic resin that you can print like a polymer, then you fire the polymer and it converts to a ceramic,” said senior scientist Tobias Schaedler, reports Discovery News. “There is some shrinkage involved, but it's very uniform so you can predict it.”

Although 3D printing has become quite popular in the recent years, especially in the field of healthcare, the use of 3D printed metals and ceramics is still considered to be safe enough for use in the aerospace industry. 3D printing allows faster manufacturing of materials which would otherwise take longer to be produced through the traditional injection moulding technique.

The complete details of the research, entitled “Additive manufacturing of polymer-derived ceramics,” have been published in the journal Science.

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