ASTM to Establish Design Rules for 3D Printed Ceramics

A New Standard for Ceramic AM Design

ASTM Committee F42 on Additive Manufacturing Technologies is working on a design guide specifically for 3D printed ceramic parts. The draft, titled "New Guide for Additive Manufacturing – Design – Parts using ceramic materials" and numbered WK84355, aims to give manufacturers a clear set of rules for designing parts that survive the printing and sintering process.

Ceramics offer obvious advantages: high strength, heat resistance, hardness, chemical inertness, and electrical insulation. But they also come with well-known failure modes. Shrinkage during sintering can crack or distort parts. Brittle behavior means designs that work in metal or plastic often fail when printed in ceramic.

"This guide could help customers and regulators evaluate whether AM ceramic parts were designed properly based on related technical needs," said Brandon Cox, lead engineer with Electron Optics Lab and an ASTM member.

The guide targets both product designers and quality auditors. For designers, it means fewer failed builds and better first-time-right rates. For regulators and customers, it provides a benchmark against which to judge whether a ceramic AM part was actually fit for purpose.

Ceramic additive manufacturing has matured quickly in recent years. Companies like Lithoz, XJET, and Sinto now offer production-ready ceramic printing systems. But without standardized design rules, the industry still relies on vendor-specific guidance and in-house trial and error. ASTM F42's new guide could change that.

The guide is still in draft. Once finalized, it will join a growing family of ASTM additive manufacturing standards covering everything from data formats to process control. For anyone considering ceramic AM for end-use parts, watching WK84355 progress through the committee is worth the time.