3D Printing of Self-Glazing Ceramic Materials: An Investigation Inspired by Ancient Egyptian Technology

The inspiration and background research for this project is based upon Egyptian Faience because there is an interesting and coincidental synergy between the material properties of ancient Egyptian Faience and the material requirement for the successful 3D printing of ceramic powders. Originating in the 5th Millennium BC, Egyptian Faience was not made from clay, but instead composed of quartz and alkali fluxes and is distinct from Italian Faience or Majolica, which is a tin, glazed earthenware. In its original Egyptian context Faience was a versatile material, used in a variety of ways and in a number of different forms, to create objects such as sculpture, vessels, funeral figurines, tiles, boxes and body ornamentation – all with a highly coloured lustred glaze. In contemporary terms Egyptian Paste has visual qualities desirable to many crafts practitioners. This paper will chart the progress of the project to date and detail the technical development of 3D printed self-glazing ceramics. The potential of the process will be demonstrated by the production of ceramic artworks using the techniques developed