EOS Founder, Langer, Invests into Ceramics Additive Manufacturing Company Lithoz

It is often said that ceramics are the material of the future. Maybe they don’t receive the same hype and excitement as futuristic materials like Graphene do, however, the number of uses for ceramic-based products and components are staggering. The same general material, which allows us all to hold our smoldering cups of coffee every morning without obtaining first or second degree burns, is also used in a number of areas including the medical, automobile, and electrical engineering industries.

One company, Lithoz, founded just three years ago, is revolutionizing the way in which ceramics can be manufactured. Using a proprietary additive manufacturing technique called lithography based ceramic manufacturing (LCM), they are able to create highly complex ceramic objects for a variety of important applications.

This week it was revealed that the CEO and Founder of EOS, a major player within the field of laser sintering additive manufacturing, Dr. Hans J. Langer has invested into Lithoz. Although the size of the investment has not been publicly announced, Langer has been known for his investments in several 3D printing verticals, making this particular investment a nice vote of confidence for the company’s future.

“While EOS is the world leader in the field of laser sintering of metals and plastics, the technology of Lithoz will open up a variety of new technical applications in the field of high-performance ceramics,” said Langer. “In my opinion there is great potential for high-performance ceramics in aerospace and medical applications.”

Just yesterday, Lithoz officially moved to a new facility in Vienna, in order to keep up with the growing demand for their products. Some of these products are made with a material called LithaBone, which has been used for bone replacement surgeries. It is said to have very similar mineral properties as human bone, and can be used in a variety of medical applications.

Langer, who founded EOS way back in 1989, is a visionary in the field of manufacturing. He likely realizes the superior properties inherent in ceramics, and the fact that there is no better way to take advantage of these properties in an ever expanding way then through the 3D printing of it. Some of these properties include, high corrosive resistance, high wear resistance, low density, high hardness, excellent biocompatibility, high temperature resistance, and low thermal expansion.

It will be incredibly interesting to watch as Lithoz grows their business, and expands the applicable uses of their 3D printed ceramics. Let’s hear your thoughts on this recent capital injection by Langer, in the Lithoz 3D printed ceramic forum thread on 3DPB.com.  Check out the brief video below, showing off some of the capabilities of Lithoz’s technology.