Optimized optics through additively manufactured silicon carbide
Additively manufactured silicon carbide (AM SiC) is the ideal substrate for high-quality optics for space, military and commercial applications.
Key benefits of AM SiC over conventional optic materials include the following: (i) superior thermal stability, (ii) high strength-to-weight ratio, (iii) high thermal conductivity and low CTE and (iv) design freedom.
Typical material properties: density (2.7-2.9 g/cc), flexural strength (200-300 MPa), CTE (2.3-2.4 ppm/°C), thermal conductivity (100-150 W/m-K (RT)).
Our process works as follows: (i) client provides us with their 3D design file in a common file format (.obj, .stl), (ii) Additive Innovations prints your substrate leveraging our specific binder jet AM process for AM SiC, (iii) the substrate is subject to an infiltration process to produce a fully dense Si-SiC part, (iv) the substrate is ground and polished to produce a final optic.
About Additive Innovations
Additive Innovations specializes in additively manufactured silicon carbide (AM SiC) for advanced engineering applications, including the production of complex, lightweight mirrors. The company leverages additive manufacturing techniques to enable the creation of free-form optics, offering a specialized solution for government and commercial optics sectors. Their work focuses on improving the design and manufacturing efficiency of high-performance components that require the material properties of silicon carbide combined with the design flexibility provided by additive manufacturing technologies. By providing these advanced manufacturing capabilities, the company serves mission-critical fields such as space and defense technology where precise, lightweight optical systems are essential. They have demonstrated their technical expertise through presentations at specialized industry conferences, such as the NASA Mirror Tech Days, and have received support through NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards.
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