Hydra Manufacturing and Lucideon have announced a new collaboration to accelerate the development of advanced ceramic additive manufacturing (AM) solutions
The partnership will combine Hydra's CHAMP printer technology with Lucideon's expertise in ceramic ink formulation, materials testing, and validation to address growing industry demand for complex, high-tolerance ceramic components.
The challenge facing manufacturers today lies in producing ceramic parts with intricate geometries that cannot be achieved through conventional forming methods. While additive manufacturing offers a pathway forward, current technologies are often too slow, costly, or limited in scalability, particularly when it comes to meeting the stringent density and print resolution requirements of high-performance applications.
In the short video clip below, Dave Pearmain - Business Manager for Technology Engagement & Partnerships at Lucideon talks about the collaboration with Hydra Manufacturing
Hydra's CHAMP printer introduces a breakthrough in robocasting technology. By integrating additive manufacturing with in-situ green machining, a process where ceramic parts are shaped while still in their “green” state, before being fully sintered and hardened, allows for unprecedented design freedom and resolution through layer-by-layer machining. This capability supports the production of high-density, complex parts, and is being developed into a unique in-situ quality control system to enable the detection and removal of defects during the printing process.
Lucideon complements this with its ability to develop customized printable ceramic ink formulations tailored to specific applications. Leveraging its deep expertise in oxides such as alumina, non-oxides including silicon carbide and silicon nitride, Lucideon's materials development offering ensures that Hydra’s technology can be applied to a broad range of extreme-environment applications. With access to the AMRICC Centre's end-to-end processing facilities, the collaboration is also positioned to support the scale-up and commercialization of ceramic AM solutions.
Dan Davie, Co-Founder at Hydra Manufacturing, said: "This synergistic collaboration combines Lucideon's material expertise with Hydra's innovative shaping method and will underpin the next-generation of advanced ceramic production."
Dave Pearmain, Business Manager for Technology Engagement & Partnerships at Lucideon, said: "It's great to collaborate on a project that enables the production of complex geometries in ceramic parts, including non-oxides, in a more cost-effective way. The in-situ green machining of Hydra's CHAMP system is particularly exciting. By combining Lucideon's materials development, process optimisation, and validation expertise with Hydra's AM and robotics technology, we're creating a strong route to commercialising this next generation of ceramic AM."
This partnership underscores both companies' commitment to unlocking new possibilities in advanced manufacturing and delivering commercially viable solutions for industries that demand high-performance ceramics.
If you're interested in learning more, contact Dave at david.pearmain@uk.lucideon.com or Hydra Manufacturing at info@hydra-am.com using the code LLHM2025.
October 2025
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