Additive Manufacturing of Ceramics Study: Sustainable Material Extrusion and Its Potential Role in Circular Economy

Abstract

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has emerged as a transformative technology enabling the production of complex geometries and customized components with minimal material waste. Within this field, the processing of ceramic materials represents a rapidly expanding research area due to their exceptional mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties. This work presents a comprehensive review of additive manufacturing processes applied to ceramics, such as Vat Photopolimerization, Binder Jetting and Laser Powder Bed Fusion, emphasizing their technological principles and capabilities. Particular attention is given to material extrusion-based additive manufacturing (MEX-AM) for ceramics, detailing its process mechanisms, rheological requirements, feedstock formulations and post-processing treatments necessary to achieve high-density and defect-free components. Furthermore, the study develops a sustainability-oriented evaluation of the ceramic MEX-AM process, addressing its environmental, economic, and social dimensions. Based on this assessment, several methodological approaches and tools are proposed to enhance process sustainability, as well as its alignment with Circular Economy principles. The outcomes of this research provide an integrated perspective on the sustainable development of ceramic additive manufacturing, supporting future advancements in Circular Design, process optimization, and industrial implementation.