1. 3D Printing vs Convensional Manufacturing

2. Ceramics
Lisa Larson Ceramics

3. Ceramics Properties
Ceramics are generally thought of as inorganic and nonmetallic solids with a range of useful properties, including very high hardness and strength, extremely high melting points, and good electrical and thermal insulation.

4. Traditional Ceramics
Firing is the process by which ceramics have traditionally been made; indeed, the word "ceramic" can be traced back to a Sanskrit word meaning "to burn." Simple ceramics such as bricks and certain types of glass are still made by processes that would be recognized by people who lived thousands of years ago. Just as in ancient times, today's pottery is made by digging clay from the ground, mixing it with water to make it flexible, shaping it on a wheel or in a mold, and then firing it in a kiln. Some of today's processes are more sophisticated than the techniques of past times. Machines have long been used in processes such as extrusion (forcing a material into shape by squeezing it like toothpaste through a shaped tool), jiggering (laying the material automatically into a rotating mold), or hot pressing (forcing a powdered form of the ceramic into a mold then simultaneously heating it and pressing it to fuse the material into shape).
Photo: Ceramic floor tiles get their hardness and durability from being fired. Picture by Michael Sandberg courtesy of US Navy.

5. 3D-Printed Ceramics the Future of Architecture?
Exhibition Data Clay: Digital Strategies for Parsing the Earth looks at the ways in which leading researchers and practitioners are experimenting at the intersection of digital technology and ceramics. This range of diverse products and sculptural forms are based on design, art, and architectural sensibilities.

6. clay has been a useful and familiar material for over 27,000 years, this experimental research remains accessible to both the general public and specialists advancing future applications. Now, this once-basic material is being adopted in complex hybrid systems, pushing ceramics to the forefront of innovation in the allied design fields, combining tooling from the contemporary digital era with traditional, craft- and skill-based knowledge, to offer the best of both worlds.

8. Ceramics in action! Space Shuttle
When NASA's Space Shuttle returned from space, thousands of heat-resistant tiles protected its exterior from overheating due to friction generated by Earth's atmosphere. The now-retired Shuttle used different tiles made from carbon, ceramics, and silica composites. But future reusable space planes are expected to use a new, slimline ceramic material made from hafnium and zirconium metals that will enable it to be both more aerodynamic and withstand temperatures up to 4300°F (2400°C).
Picture courtesy of Great Images in NASA.

9. Ceramics in action! Superconductors
Materials that have practically no electrical resistance—were discovered in 1911, but found few practical applications because they became superconducting only at temperatures close to absolute zero (–459.67°F or –273.15°C). But in the 1980s, scientists invented new types of ceramic superconductors that showed superconductivity at temperatures as high as –292°F (–180°C). High-temperature superconductors such as this are expected to find many new applications, including high-speed, magnetic levitation ("maglev") trains and super-fast computers.
Maglev train picture courtesy of US Department of Energy.