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Since my PhD topic focuses on 3D printing of ceramics, I was thrilled to attend the Shaping 10 Conference and Summer School in Padova. I saw the event as a great opportunity to gain new knowledge, exchange ideas, and make new connections with researchers working in related fields. Thanks to a generous grant from JECS Trust, I was able to attend both the conference and the Summer School.

The Summer School took place during the weekend before the conference, in the center of the beautiful city of Padova. The main theme was Precursor Approaches to Ceramics and Glasses. The lectures covered the sol-gel process, preceramic polymers, and geopolymers, where we learned about the origins of these research fields, their development, different applications, and some of the challenges that still need to be solved. The lectures were especially interesting because the speakers had extensive experience in their fields and were able to present not only the fundamental concepts, but also current challenges and recent achievements. During the coffee breaks and lunches, there was a relaxed atmosphere that encouraged discussion. I had the opportunity to exchange ideas and questions with other participants as well as with the speakers. Of course, I also have to mention the good Italian food, which made the experience even more enjoyable.

On Monday, the conference started with an opening lecture by Eduardo Saiz, who discussed how additive manufacturing of ceramics can be used to manipulate the microstructure of final ceramic components and, with this, open new possibilities for tailoring their properties. The sessions I was most interested in focused on material jetting and DWI - functional applications. One presentation I would especially highlight was the invited lecture by Alberto Ortona, who discussed how computational design can be used to improve the functional performance of ceramic components.

The second day of the conference was especially interesting for me because I already had some knowledge and practical experience working with preceramic polymers. Two sessions were dedicated to these materials, which made them particularly relevant to my research. Later in the afternoon, I presented my work during the poster session. This gave me the opportunity to have several insightful and productive conversations with other participants about additive manufacturing, DLP, and SiC ceramics. These discussions helped me gather new ideas and consider different approaches to some of the challenges I am currently facing in my research.

The third day was the most interesting for me, as all of the talks related to vat photopolymerization took place on this day. Since this topic is closely connected to my own PhD research, I was particularly interested in the presentations and gained several new ideas that I hope to apply in my future work.

Overall, attending both the Summer School and the Shaping 10 Conference was a great decision. The whole experience brought me new knowledge, new connections, and answers to many questions. Most importantly, it gave me additional motivation for my future research in the field of ceramic shaping and additive manufacturing.

Tomaž Ivančič

Jožef Stefan Institute, department for Nanostructured Materials

tomaz.ivancic@ijs.si

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