The Dutch company Ter Hoek, a specialist in precision metal manufacturing, expands its portfolio with the acquisition of an XJet Carmel 1400C system. This machine employs NanoParticle Jetting (NPJ) technology to manufacture technical ceramic parts. The move is aimed at sectors such as aerospace, semiconductors, and medicine, offering its customers new design possibilities and faster development.
NanoParticle Jetting: an integral process for complex ceramics 🧪
XJet's NPJ technology uses a cartridge of ceramic material nanoparticles in liquid suspension. The printer deposits and cures ultra-thin layers with inkjet technology, achieving parts with high density and direct surface resolution straight from the machine. The Carmel 1400C system covers everything from prototyping to short runs, integrating a digital workflow that reduces intermediate steps. Ter Hoek and XJet will present this process at Ceramitec 2026.
From metal to ceramics: when your workshop wants to be a potter 🏺
It seems the metal business wasn't exciting enough anymore. Now, among precision lathes and milling machines, there's a machine that essentially prints with high-tech clay. One imagines the transition: suddenly, instead of discussing tolerances in microns, someone asks if the part looks good with a cobalt blue glaze. Ter Hoek demonstrates that, in advanced manufacturing, you can also play with sand, but the fancy kind.