Lithoz

A Leader in the Additive Manufacturing Space

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Dr Johannes Homa, CEO

With the advent of Industry 4.0, Additive manufacturing (AM) has emerged as a disruptive technology to produce high value and complex geometrical components that is not achievable by conventional manufacturing. However, most industrial 3D printers still lag behind traditional mechanised equipment in terms of speed and efficiency. Currently, the AM industry is stifled by the lack of a standard database of printing parameters and defined specifications for every material. As a result, it is challenging to achieve a consistent 3D printing process and often, companies seeking to adopt AM are faced with the need to buy disparate solutions which creates inefficiencies in the workflow. That said, today’s product development challenges of quality, reproducibility and functionality have promoted ceramics massively to be an exciting new area of application for 3D printing technologies. This is where, one company, Lithoz, is revolutionising the AM industry. The company specialises in the development and production of materials and additive manufacturing systems for the 3D printing of bone replacement material and high-performance ceramics. Through interdisciplinary collaboration between specialists in the areas of mechanical engineering, process engineering and chemistry, Lithoz has successfully developed a manufacturing system for the additive manufacture of ceramics suited to industrial and medical applications.

“We support our customers throughout the manufacturing process chain, beginning from the designing phase to the end of post-processing phase,” explains Dr Johannes Homa, CEO of Lithoz. To help companies scale AM at the industrial level, Lithoz offers customer-specific solutions, along with expert and specialist advice across the entire value chain from conception to production and post-processing of the product including hardware and software aspects. Powered by Lithography-based Ceramic Manufacturing (LCM) technology, Lithoz’s industry-oriented 3D printers facilitate efficient serial production of additively manufactured ceramics. The firm’s AM CeraFab System is especially suited to producing highly precise components for complex applications that meet the high levels of density, stability and precision required by the ceramics industry. The CeraFab System incorporates up to four production units with an increased building speed to significantly accelerate time-to-market and productivity.

Another key offering is Lithoz’s CeraFab Control, a robust database-driven software platform that allows users to trace and analyse production-related data for greater efficiency in manufacturing. With the integration of tried-and-tested process parameters for all-ceramic materials—job preparation becomes more straightforward and intuitive. Users are granted the ability to optimise actionable data and make real-time adjustments to advanced printing parameters and the building process for maximum productivity.

We support our customers throughout the manufacturing process chain, beginning from the designing phase to the end of the post-processing phase

“Lithoz views its customers as partners and focuses on-boarding them to master our technology swiftly through tailored training and high-quality consultation services,” states Dr Homa. As the leading technology provider of additive manufacturing systems for high-performance ceramics, Lithoz has in-house experts with over a decade of experience in areas such as ceramics engineering and technology, polymer chemistry and software engineering. The company offers various training courses to allow users to gain an in-depth understanding of the operating principles of firm’s 3D Printer which will enable them to optimise AM processes and produce high-quality parts at an industrial level. These training courses are individually tailored to suit different requirements and levels of client’s experience in AM. Customers are supported at every step of the training process with tried and trusted industrial equipment and manufacturing parameters (i.e. printing, debinding, sintering) based on the extensive experience of Lithoz’s engineers and experts.

To further illustrate the efficacy of Lithoz’s solutions, Dr Homa, cites a case-study, where, one of the most prominent nuclear labs in the U.S, Sandia National Labs (SNS), California, approached them for assistance. As a contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), SNS had a particular requirement of printing their materials for sensitive applications. Lithoz were able to convert SNS’ ceramic powders into principle form and achieve the desired result. Also, SNS were guided by experts at Lithoz through the process of setting-up their printing in-house. In recent years, the AM industry has made a quantum leap forward by expanding a list of standards as well as developing enhanced and robust systems to create improved materials and solutions. As the industry matures and challenges get addressed, the rate of AM adoption will only increase. Lithoz was founded in 2011 to provide a manufacturing process that enables companies to overcome the limitations of conventional manufacturing methods. The firm’s quality policy was devised, taking into consideration the requirements and circumstances of the ceramics industry. “As industrialisation is a key area for us, we plan to broaden our technological basis further to complement our solutions and offerings,” concludes Dr Homa.

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Lithoz

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Lithoz

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Dr Johannes Homa, CEO

Description
Lithoz specialises in the development and production of materials and additive manufacturing systems for the 3D printing of bone replacement material and high-performance ceramics. Through interdisciplinary collaboration between specialists in the areas of mechanical engineering, process engineering and chemistry, Lithoz has successfully developed a manufacturing system for the additive manufacture of ceramics suited to industrial and medical applications. The company offers various training courses to allow users to gain an in-depth understanding of the operating principles of firm’s 3D Printer which will enable them to optimise AM processes and produce high-quality parts at an industrial level

Lithoz News

Himed and Lithoz Enter Medical 3D Printing Materials Research Partnership

Companies seek to enhance medical-grade bioceramics for implants using biocompatible calcium phosphates.

OLD BETHPAGE - Advancing 3D-printed medical implants depends on the steady progress of leading-edge printer technologies, as well as the skillful development of the raw materials used in those technologies. Appreciating that these crucial factors must work together, Himed (www.himed.com), a New York-based biomaterials manufacturer serving dental and orthopedic implant markets worldwide, and Lithoz (www.lithoz.com), a global market leader in 3D printing based in Austria, have teamed up to develop new bioceramic feedstocks. They've begun a long-term strategic Materials Research Partnership Agreement to explore novel integrations of Himed's calcium phosphate (CaP) biomaterials with Lithoz's proprietary ceramic binder used in their innovative CeraFab S65 medical 3D printer.

Over the past three decades, calcium phosphates, such as hydroxyapatite, have become widely utilized in various medical applications, including implantable devices, bone putties, and grafting materials, due to their similarity to natural bone and their ability to support the regeneration of hard tissue at the implantation site. Himed has been collaborating with different medical implant manufacturers since 1991 to develop and optimize various CaP powders and surface treatments for osseointegration. The recent partnership with Lithoz opens up new opportunities for Himed in the medical additive manufacturing market, extending beyond bioactive surface treatments and post-processing of implants. Dana Barnard, CEO of Himed, explains:

"Himed has extensive expertise in CaP optimization and scaling it for a growing market. While we have successfully improved many calcium phosphates for their healing potential, most of these applications were focused on surface coatings for traditionally manufactured titanium implants. Lithoz's remarkable 3D printing technology allows us to take our products in a new direction, leveraging CaP as a biomimetic material within the implant structure itself, which can be gradually replaced by the patient's natural bone over time."

For Lithoz, this partnership presents an opportunity to build on the success of their LithaBone product line, a printable bioceramic that harnesses the resorbable and osteoconductive properties of hydroxyapatite (HA) and tricalcium phosphate (TCP) for medical use. Collaborating with Himed is a strategic step towards the large-scale commercialization of this specialized technology, and together, the two companies create a formidable international team of researchers capable of advancing the functional benefits of osteoconductive bioceramics. Moreover, this collaboration enables the exploration of how other CaP formulations can enhance the sophisticated biomimetic shapes achievable with Lithoz's printers. Dr. Johannes Homa, CEO of Lithoz, comments:

"This partnership marks a significant milestone in our collaboration and represents just the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship for additive manufacturing of bone replacements."

The initial research will take place during the summer at Lithoz's U.S. location in Troy, NY, where a joint team of materials scientists will work together. In the early fall, Himed will install a new Lithoz CeraFab S65 printer at their 25,000 sq. ft. facility in Long Island, enabling on-site experimentation and analytical testing. This addition will expand their R&D services to include rapid prototyping of various forms for Himed's clients, facilitating unique biomaterials research.

Both companies firmly believe that there is much to discover about developing CaP materials to enhance the performance of 3D-printed implantable structures. This strategic partnership is the first step in expanding the range of biocompatible materials suitable for a future of highly customized, patient-specific medical solutions that can be printed on demand.