A January 2026 MDPI review links extrusion-based ceramic additive manufacturing to circular economy strategy and lays out a framework for assessing its sustainability. [S1]
Specifying engineers evaluating ceramic AM routes get a single source that maps the extrusion-based (MEX-AM) process family against circular economy criteria: feedstock recyclability, energy use, and end-of-life strategy. It is useful for screening whether an MEX-AM part can be specified with an auditable sustainability case, and for comparing extrusion against SLA, SLS, DIW, and binder jetting for ceramics. [S1]
What the paper sets out to do
The paper is a structured literature review covering peer-reviewed publications on ceramic AM available up to September 2025, with a stated emphasis on material extrusion (MEX-AM) processes derived from Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). [S1]
The authors frame the work as addressing a gap they identify in the literature: ceramic AM research has focused on technology, material performance, and application requirements, with little integrated assessment of life cycle impacts, ceramic feedstock recyclability, processing energy, and end-of-life strategies. [S1]
The stated aim is to provide coherent tools and strategies to embed and assess sustainability in ceramic MEX-AM, contributing what the authors describe as a foundation for future interdisciplinary work. [S1]
Process families and intrinsic material constraints
The review names stereolithography (SLA), selective laser sintering (SLS), direct ink writing (DIW), and binder jetting (BJT) as the most prominent AM techniques applied to ceramics. [S1]
It identifies material extrusion (MEX-AM) as increasingly used because of relatively low equipment and operating costs while still enabling complex geometries and tailored properties. [S1]
The paper lists intrinsic difficulties in extending AM to ceramics: high sintering temperatures, brittle fracture behavior, and the need for thermal postprocessing. It also notes that traditional ceramic processing (hand throwing, die pressing, slip casting) is associated with long processing cycles, high tooling costs, and low flexibility for complex geometries. [S1]
Why circular economy framing matters for specification
The authors position AM, including MEX-AM, as an enabler of circular economy strategies through reduced material waste, decentralized production, spare part fabrication, and design for disassembly, reparability, and maintenance. [S1]
For ceramic MEX-AM specifically, the review notes that the circular economy dimension remains underexplored and calls for integrated assessments covering feedstock recyclability, energy consumption, and end-of-life options for AM-produced ceramic components. [S1]
The implication for specifiers is that any sustainability claim attached to a ceramic MEX-AM part should be checked against the four dimensions the paper highlights: feedstock recyclability, processing energy, life cycle impacts, and end-of-life pathway. [S1]
How to check the primary source
The full article, including the comparative analytical framework and any quantitative sustainability metrics, is hosted at the MDPI URL listed in the source field. [S1]
Read sections beyond the introduction to confirm the specific MEX-AM sub-processes covered, the recycling and energy assumptions, and whether the review provides numerical thresholds or only qualitative guidance, as the introductory portion alone does not contain such figures. [S1]
Cross-check any downstream sustainability claim for a ceramic MEX-AM component against the exact terminology and limitations the authors use, particularly around thermal postprocessing and brittle fracture behavior. [S1]
Primary notice: Industry news.
Product encyclopedia: Additive Manufacturing Material.