New XJet Carmel 1400 Additive Manufacturing System Brings Inkjet-Based Ceramic 3D Printing to Oerlikon in First Global Installation

Israeli additive manufacturing company XJet, which developed innovative 3D NanoParticle Jetting (NPJ) technology and Ceramic NanoParticle Jetting technology, announced late last month that it would debut a new additive manufacturing system that enhances both technologies at next week’s formnext event in Frankfurt. The Carmel AM System line features the company’s patented NPJ technology and is made up of the Carmel 700 and the Carmel 1400 3D printers, the latter of which has seen its first global installation.

The XJet Carmel 1400 AM system is designed for use with both metal and ceramic additive manufacturing, thanks to its ability to print separate nanoparticle fluids or inks for both support and build materials – this means that versatile metal and ceramic parts can be easily produced. Since the Carmel 1400, which has one of the industry’s largest build trays, is able to print extremely fine layers, down to only a few microns thick, it can safely create complex geometries that possess superfine details. The 3D printer is well suited for multiple applications and industries, and XJet CBO Dror Danai said last month that it had “already been delivered to a customer site.”

We’ve now learned that the first global installation of the XJet Carmel 1400 AM system took place at citim, part of the global technology Oerlikon Group and an international service provider of 3D printed parts.

“The cooperation with XJet is an exciting opportunity for us to expand our AM offering beyond metals and into ceramics. With over 20 years in the industry, citim has established itself as a leading international supplier of AM parts that meets evolving industry needs and remains at the forefront of AM technology,” said Andreas Berkau, Head of AM Service Europe, Oerlikon Business Unit (BU) AM. “This collaboration enables us to stay ahead of technology developments and maintain our technology leadership.”

Oerlikon, which acquired citim last year, has recently been focusing on setting up new partnerships in an effort to advance industrial additive manufacturing; partnering with XJet now will certainly help the cause. Now that’s it got the Carmel 1400 AM system, the company is the first in the world to premiere a transformational new ceramic 3D printing technology based in inkjet printing.

“This collaboration with XJet is a natural extension of Oerlikon’s AM vision and further strengthens our technology offering and leadership position in the field of AM. We are pleased to be partnering with the XJet team, which is comprised of top veterans in the global AM industry,” said Head of Oerlikon BU AM Florian Mauerer. “We look forward to a meaningful partnership in order to provide the best possible AM solutions along the entire value chain to customers in diverse manufacturing industries.”

While adoption has been increasing over the last few years, ceramics is still a fairly new 3D printing material. XJet’s Carmel AM System line is different than many other ceramics 3D printers in that it’s not extrusion-based – the company’s technology involves a liquid dispersion, encased in a cartridge, that contains ceramic nanoparticles. Once this cartridge has been loaded into the printer, it sprays the liquid onto the build platform, where it evaporates due to high temperatures and leaves behind thin layers of ceramic material.

Hanan Gothait, Xjet CEO; Dror Danai, Xjet CBO; Andreas Berkau, Head of AM Service Europe – Oerlikon

Field testing with the XJet Carmel 1400 AM system will now begin at Oerlikon’s AM parts production site in Barleben, Germany. As of right now, the Carmel 1400 has been configured to manufacture parts out of ceramic zirconia; it can later be reconfigured to print finely detailed metal components.

Hanan Gothait, the CEO and Founder of XJet, said, “We are proud to team up with Oerlikon, a global technology Group and one of the world’s leading AM service providers. Working together, Oerlikon and XJet are taking a lead in the AM revolution, empowered by our game-changing NPJ technology for metal and ceramic AM.”

The two companies will both have exhibits at next week’s formnext AM trade fair. XJet will be set up at booth E20 in Hall 3.1, right next to Oerlikon in booth E30. Oerlikon will be exhibiting its end-to-end services, along with XJet-printed parts, and XJet Chief Business Officer Dror Danai will present the company’s NPJ metal and ceramic AM technology on the first day of the conference at 1:30 pm at the TCT Introducing Stand.

3DPrint.com will also be in attendance at formnext, bringing you all of the latest news from the show floor starting on November 14th.

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