Tritone’s MoldJet® technology provides a production-focused alternative to conventional metal additive manufacturing, combining high throughput, complex geometries, excellent part density and repeatability with a powder-free manufacturing process. Its multi-tray architecture supports efficient serial production, while integrated optical inspection and AI-powered quality control help identify and correct defects during printing. With support for a broad range of metals and ceramics, rapid material changeover and minimal requirements for conventional support structures, MoldJet is designed to make metal additive manufacturing more practical for high-volume industrial production.
MoldJet vs Conventional Metal AM Processes
Conventional metal AM technologies such as laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) and electron beam powder bed fusion (EB-PBF) work by selectively processing layers of loose metal powder. Binder jetting also relies on powder beds, although the powder is selectively bound rather than melted.
MoldJet takes a different approach.
The system digitally creates a temporary mould for each layer by jetting a mould material. A high-density paste containing metal or ceramic powder and binder is then deposited into the mould cavities. The layer is dried and hardened before the process repeats. Integrated optical inspection and AI-based analysis can identify and correct layer defects during production.
After printing, the mould material is removed, leaving robust green parts that undergoes thermal debinding and sintering to produce the final metal or ceramic components.
| Feedstock | |||
| Exposed powder | |||
| Production focus | |||
| Support structures | |||
| Material changeover | |||
| In-process inspection | |||
| Green part handling | |||
| Materials | |||
| Sintering |
MoldJet gives manufacturers another option when the priorities are production throughput, repeatability, material flexibility, complex geometries and a powder-free manufacturing environment.
The MoldJet Process
- Create the mould – A thin layer of mould material is digitally deposited to create cavities corresponding to the part geometry
- Fill the mould – High-density metal or ceramic paste fills the cavities
- Dry and harden – The layer is rapidly dried and stabilised using hot air and vacuum
- Inspect and correct – Integrated optical inspection and AI analysis identify potential layer defects, allowing correction where required
- Build the part – The process repeats layer by layer until the complete green part is produced.
- Demould – The temporary mould material is removed to expose the green parts
- Debind and sinter – The parts undergo thermal debinding and sintering to achieve the final material properties
Designed for Production, Not Just Prototyping
A major focus of Tritone’s technology is serial production.
Many metal additive manufacturing systems are highly capable for prototyping, low-volume production and geometrically complex components, but production economics can become challenging as quantities increase.
Tritone has designed MoldJet around a different objective: high-volume manufacturing of repeatable metal and ceramic components.
The company’s Dominant system, for example, uses six independently operating build trays and is specified for throughput of up to 1,600 cm³/h, with a total build volume of approximately 70,000 cm³. This multi-tray architecture allows parts to be produced simultaneously and supports a production workflow designed around throughput rather than simply maximising the size of a single build.
High Throughput and Part-to-Part Repeatability
MoldJet is designed to produce multiple parts across a build with consistent geometry and density.
Typical characteristics include:
- Up to 99% density
- High part-to-part repeatability
- AI-powered in-process inspection
- Automatic layer correction
- Production of different geometries within the same build
- Part sizes ranging from approximately 0.2 mm to 350 mm depending on configuration.
This makes the technology particularly interesting for manufacturers looking beyond one-off or small-batch additive manufacturing towards repeatable industrial production.
A Powder-Free Metal AM Environment
Another significant difference is the absence of exposed loose metal powder during the printing process.
Metal powder handling can introduce additional requirements around operator safety, powder recovery, housekeeping, ventilation and environmental controls. MoldJet uses a paste-based feedstock delivered through sealed cartridges, creating a powder-free production environment.
For manufacturers, this can simplify material handling and integration of additive manufacturing into an existing industrial production environment.
Tritone also describes its post-processing as largely hands-free, with the mould material being removed before the green parts proceed to sintering.
Complex Parts Without Conventional Support Structures
MoldJet’s temporary mould provides another important advantage.
Because the part is formed inside a surrounding mould rather than being built directly onto conventional support structures, the technology can manufacture complex geometries without the same requirement for printed support structures associated with many powder-bed fusion processes.
This can be particularly valuable for:
- Internal channels
- Complex cavities
- Lattice structures
- Intricate tooling
- Gears
- Impellers
- Small mechanical components
- Components with challenging geometries
A key advantage to MoldJet technology is the ability to produce parts withunlimited part geometric complexity and no support structures.
Broad Material Flexibility
MoldJet uses a paste-based feedstock derived from standard MIM-type powders, giving the platform access to a broad range of sinterable materials.
Tritone’s qualified material portfolio includes:
- Stainless steels
- Tool steels
- Low-alloy steels
- High-temperature alloys
- Titanium
- Copper and copper alloys
- Superalloys
- Ceramics
- Precious metals
Tritone states that the technology is designed to accommodate a wide variety of metal alloys and ceramics, with material changeover taking approximately 30 minutes.
This provides manufacturers with the potential to produce different materials and geometries on the same platform rather than requiring a dedicated machine for each material family.
Real-Time Quality Control
A particularly interesting aspect of MoldJet is that inspection is incorporated into the manufacturing process.
Optical inspection and AI-based image analysis monitor each layer as it is produced. If a problem is identified, the system can automatically correct the layer or remove and reprint it.
This is important for production environments where yield and repeatability are just as important as dimensional accuracy.
Rather than discovering a problem only after a complete build has finished, MoldJet is designed to identify potential defects during the manufacturing process.
MoldJet for Industrial-Scale Production
The fundamental philosophy behind MoldJet technology is that metal additive manufacturing should not be restricted to prototyping. As such, it is designed to address the requirements of manufacturers producing hundreds, thousands or potentially tens of thousands of components, where consistency, throughput and cost per part become critical.
Applications
Typical applications for MoldJet technology include, but are not restricted to:
- Manufacturing & Production – Produce complex mechanical components in volume, including gears, pulleys, impellers and other functional parts
- Tooling – Manufacture complex tooling components using tool steels and other high-performance materials
- Aerospace & Defence – Produce lightweight and geometrically complex metal components where material performance, repeatability and production efficiency are critical
- Medical – Manufacture complex metal components and devices using a range of biocompatible and medical-grade materials
- Consumer Products – Create detailed metal components and high-value products where complex geometry and production efficiency are important.
