Vat-photopolymerization of ceramic materials: exploring current applications in advanced multidisciplinary fields

Abstract

Additive manufacturing has brought about a real revolution in the manufacture of objects in a variety of application areas, overturning the traditional paradigm based on subtractive approaches. The potential benefits deriving from the application of these techniques in the field of ceramic materials extend to different industrial sectors, leading to shorter, more accurate and cost-effective manufacturing processes. Within the present review, we provide a transversal analysis of the state-of-the-art of the applications of vat-photopolymerization technologies, namely, stereolithography and digital light processing in relevant technological industrial/research fields of our times, including biomedicine, energy, environment, space and aerospace, with a special focus on current trends and project-specific requirements. Unmet challenges and future developments will be discussed as well, providing readers a transfer of knowledge and “lessons learned” from one field to the other, being this approach aimed at the further growth of the technology towards its industrialization and market uptake.