Manufacturing of high-purity fused silica parts via patented injection molding, 3D printing and casting in Freiburg.
Glassomer GmbH
Freiburg im Breisgau, GermanyNew on Amplifa
About Glassomer
Glassomer GmbH in Freiburg im Breisgau produces high-purity fused silica parts using a process unique worldwide that shapes glass at room temperature. Composites made from glass powder and organic binder are shaped in standard polymer injection molding machines at 130 °C, by benchtop 3D printing, or by casting into molds. The parts are then debound at 600 °C and sintered at 1300 °C into dense, fully transparent fused silica; shrinkage is isotropic and well predictable. The company produces one-off parts through industrial series production, including microlens arrays, microfluidic chips with micro- and nanostructures, custom optics for illumination and imaging, as well as tailor-made glass components. Customer industries include optics, lab-on-a-chip/microfluidics, solar technology, medtech, automotive, and jewelry and art. In addition to finished parts, Glassomer also sells 3D printing resins for glass. The company was founded in 2018 as a spin-off from research at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and employs 18 people at its Freiburg site.
- Site
- Freiburg im Breisgau
- Processes
- Glass injection molding (injection molding of transparent glass, Glassomer process), Glass 3D printing (3D printing of fused silica, resins), Casting (casting into molds), Binder removal and sintering (firing/consolidation into solid glass), Lens manufacturing (microlens arrays, aspherical and quadratic lenses), Microfluidic chips in glass (micro- and nanostructures), Injection molding of glass, 3D printing of glass (prototyping)
- Materials
- Fused silica glass (high-purity fused silica), Fused Silica Composer material (glass powder + organic binder, solid and liquid), 3D printing resins (glass resins), Fused Silica (high-purity fused silica glass), Glassomer Composer (glass powder + organic binder, solid), Glassomer Composer (liquid)
- Certificates
- Cleanroom production, Documented material parameters
- Founded
- 2018
- Employees
- 18
- Industries
- Optics, Lab-on-a-Chip / Microfluidics, Solar technology, Medtech, Automotive, Jewelry & Art
- 01
Production of the Glassomer composite from glass powder and binder (under
- 02
Shaping: injection molding at 130 °C, 3D printing or casting into molds
- 03
Deburring/removal of sprue and support structures
- 04
Binder removal in the oven at 600 °C
- 05
Sintering at 1300 °C into dense, transparent fused silica
Materials and Processes
Fused Silica (high-purity fused silica glass)
Highly transparent glass with high thermal and chemical stability for optics, medtech and solar technology.
Glassomer Composer (glass powder + organic binder, solid)
Solid composite for injection molding on standard polymer injection molding machines at 130 °C.
Glassomer Composer (liquid)
Liquid composite used as resin for 3D printing and casting into molds.
3D printing resins (glass resins)
Resins with which customers can produce fused silica parts themselves on a benchtop 3D printer.
Locations
Freiburg im Breisgau
DEHeadquarters and production
- Part weight / size
- regular up to 15 mm part/wall thickness
- Lot size
- Prototypes to industrial scale
- Materials
- Fused silica (Fused Silica)
- Standard polymer injection molding machine (130 °C process)
- Benchtop 3D printer
- Oven for binder removal (600 °C)
- Sintering furnace (1300 °C)
Parts
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glass injection molding (injection molding of transparent glass, Glassomer process)Plastics | – | 15 mm wall/part thickness regular | – | Single part to industrial scale | Fused silica (Fused Silica) |
| Glass 3D printing (3D printing of fused silica, resins)Additive | – | – | – | Prototypes | Fused silica (Fused Silica) |
| Casting (casting into molds)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Fused silica (Fused Silica) |
| Binder removal and sintering (firing/consolidation into solid glass)Heat treatment | very smooth surfaces (not | – | – | – | Fused silica (Fused Silica) |
| Lens manufacturing (microlens arrays, aspherical and quadratic lenses)Surface | – | – | – | – | Fused silica (Fused Silica) |
| Microfluidic chips in glass (micro- and nanostructures)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Fused silica (Fused Silica) |
4 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injection molding machine (standard polymer injection molding, 130 °C process) | – | – | – | – | Freiburg im Breisgau |
| Benchtop 3D printer | – | – | – | – | Freiburg im Breisgau |
| Oven for binder removal (600 °C) | – | – | – | – | Freiburg im Breisgau |
| Sintering furnace (1300 °C) | – | – | – | – | Freiburg im Breisgau |
Additional services
Quality
Production takes place under cleanroom conditions to prevent dust inclusions; the glass quality is characterized by published material parameters such as transmission, flexural strength and hardness.
| Evidence | Freiburg im Breisgau |
|---|---|
| Cleanroom production | |
| Documented material parameters |
History
- 2016
F. Kotz and B. E. Rapp invent high-resolution 3D printing of fused silica at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).
- 2017
The journal Nature publishes the scientific paper on 3D glass printing.
- 2018
Founding of Glassomer GmbH in Karlsruhe; relocation to Freiburg im Breisgau and start of production of 3D printing resins and small-series glass parts.
- 2020
Invention and patenting of the world's first injection molding process for transparent glass.
- 2021
Publication of the injection molding process in the journal Science; award of the Lothar Späth Award.
- 2022
Move to the new production site in Freiburg.
- 2023
Winner of the Special Prize of the Environmental Technology Award Baden-Württemberg 2023 for energy- and material-efficient production of fused silica parts.