BOSTON CERAMICS

Boston Ceramics focused on ceramic 3D printing for designers, artists, architects, and environmental applications that included coral reef restoration.

The company operated as a subsidiary of FIT AG in Germany and was built on the technical foundation developed at Figulo. We deployed one of the first Voxeljet VX500 ceramic binder-jet printers, moving ceramic additive manufacturing into a larger, more industrial format. With a build volume of 500 × 400 × 300 mm, the system allowed us to produce either multiple parts simultaneously or single large-scale objects.

We advanced the process significantly by modifying ceramic powder formulations, firing schedules, and slip-coating techniques to expand compatibility with commercial glazes. This greatly increased the available color range and surface quality, making ceramic 3D printing more viable for professional designers and artists.

One of the most meaningful projects was the development of coral seeding units for SECORE International. In 2017, we produced 5,000 seeding units across five designs in time for the annual coral spawning. The units were manufactured, fired, shipped, and deployed into the ocean before year’s end — supporting reef restoration through digitally manufactured ceramics.

Boston Ceramics demonstrated that large-format ceramic 3D printing could move beyond experimentation — into design, industry, and environmental impact.