Where is the current demand for materials?
The demand for materials capable of withstanding harsh environments is continuously increasing. From reusable launch vehicles intended to undergo re-entry multiple times, to nuclear fusion reactor development for global energy security, an ever-expanding range of materials are needed to withstand cryogenic and high temperatures, radiation exposure, corrosive and abrasive environments, and many other hostile conditions. Existing materials are reaching their performance limitations, necessitating the development of novel materials to provide the next great step change in performance.
Linked to this market need for stronger, lighter, and more resilient materials is a demand for novel test facilities capable of assessing and verifying the outer reaches of their performance characteristics, from modified furnaces to strength testing of small specimens, to large environmental chambers that can simulate the moon’s surface.
Validation of these novel materials is of utmost importance, particularly to simulate the environments in which these next-generation materials are expected to perform.
What are the recent developments / tech trends?
One of the potential families of materials that exhibit the characteristics necessary to withstand harsh environments are advanced ceramics. Advanced ceramics, sometimes known as technical or fine ceramics, are historically known for high operating temperature characteristics, excellent hardness, and wear resistance, as well as a high strength-to-weight ratio. However, they are also known for their brittleness, machining challenges, and energy intensive processing steps.
Advanced ceramics are engineered materials, and as such their properties can be altered through cutting-edge material science. Developments within academia and industry are addressing some of their material and processing challenges, making this an exciting time to be working in the industry. For example, ceramic AM produces near net-shape parts which reduces the need for machining (and ultimately reduces tooling cost), and ceramic-matrix composites address the issue of brittleness exhibited in monolithic ceramics. The continuation of this development work is in verification and; for industry to implement and use these technologies, it now must be proven that they are scalable and reliable for their given application.
How does a technology ‘scale up’ from idea to product?
Technology development uses a scale called the “Technology Readiness Level”. This scale starts at TRL 1, an idea or a basic principle observed, and moves up to TRL 9, representing a fully mature technology that is fully developed and ready to be marketed and deployed.
Programmes that receive funding at TRL 1-3 are typically intended to identify the most promising technologies and to filter out unsuccessful areas of work quickly. Infrastructure for development programmes at this level can usually be accessed easily from sources within academia and industry. As a result, feasibility studies and trials tend to be cheaper and simpler to complete than those at higher TRLs.
The first significant hurdles can begin to occur during TRLs 4-6 – often informally referred to as the “valley of death”. Frequently the source of these roadblocks is a lack of infrastructure for the scale up of technologies in their relevant environments. As a consequence of this, manufacturers carrying out development work through these stages may need to pause their manufacturing lines which loses money in the short term and can lead to an aversion to completing ambitious R&D work.
The final stages of technology deployment, encompassing TRL 7-9, typically require significantly higher amounts of funding compared to early stage TRL programmes as the final barriers to full commercialisation are identified and overcome. Only the most promising technologies reach this stage, underlining the significance of using the difficult but necessary TRL 4-6 stages to demonstrate clearly that a manufacturing process can be devised that is scalable, reliable, and implementable for industry.
Progressing technologies through the TRL scale can be challenging, particularly from TRL 4-6. For many manufacturers, the answer to this issue lies with companies that specialise the scale up of technologies such as Lucideon. In our case, we offer materials development, validation, and commercialisation support alongside access to our facilities which include a unique advanced ceramic pilot scale facility specifically designed to develop materials and processes up to prototype level scale and demonstration.
What are the main barriers for scaling up technologies?
Broadly, scale-up barriers can be categorised as technical or commercial challenges. If we look at material development specifically, it’s important that the benefits for industry outweigh the manufacturing complexity and cost. To use an example from Lucideon’s experience, processes that are easier to implement into industrial relevant processes require less investment from the end user. To this end, we are developing and providing consultancy and trials offerings for ceramic-matrix composites that align with existing composite manufacturing processes wherever possible.
In some cases, it’s possible to design processes that have multiple different applications, which can help to shift the risk-reward balance of technology development through their innate diversity of implementation. As a general rule, an understanding must be developed of the limitations of the technology such as geometrical limitations, energy usage requirements, and regulatory compliance pitfalls and requirements.
From a commercial point of view, it’s important to have an accurate expectation of your customers, competitors, cost, and timeframe to commercialise. What’s the expected market growth? Are there any competing materials or processes? How well are the competitors known? How much investment is required? How quickly does the market progress? These are all questions to be answered – and depending on developmental timescales, the answer may shift more rapidly than might have been anticipated.
What are the most promising technologies for Lucideon?
We have seen a demand for ceramic matrix composite (CMC) development, particularly in the aerospace and nuclear sectors. CMCs address the issue of brittleness experienced by monolithic ceramics, which are often a barrier in the use of these materials in structural environments. Lucideon has the capability to work with Ox/Ox, SiC/SiC, and UHTCMCs through matrix formulation development, forming, densification, sintering and testing up to pilot level scale and demonstration.
Recently, interest in non-oxide materials capable of being manufactured with complex geometries has really been taking off. Ceramic additive manufacturing techniques can be used to produce complex, near-net shaped parts, serving as an enabling forming technique that in some respects exceeds the capabilities of conventional forming processes to offer a reduction in machining and material requirements, and therefore tooling and supply costs respectively. Developmental consultancies such as Lucideon are offering the capability to optimise and develop not only material formulations, but also debinding and sintering parameters.
Advanced ceramic processing facilities capable of trialling from R&D to prototype scale have garnered interest from both academia and industry. These facilities serve to reduce the up-front investment required to continue developing technologies such as CMCs or ceramic AM. These facilities, such as the open-access AMRICC Centre in Stone, Staffordshire, provide a suite of equipment for material and process development. By addressing TRL 4-6 scale up challenges, more emerging technologies can be progressed to higher TRLs, maximising opportunities for success.
This article was originally published in The Engineer's 2025 Tech Trends supplement in which key commercial partners offer their take on the technologies that will shape the year ahead.
For more on Lucideon visit: www.lucideon.com
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