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Avignon Ceramics

MaterialsBruère-Allichamps, France· One of 955 Materials companies tracked by AMPulse

Manufactures high-precision ceramic cores for investment casting using Ceramic Injection Moulding (CIM) and 3D printing for aerospace and energy applications.

CEO / Founder
Carole Zimpfer (Blazik)
Team Size
51-200
Stage
Subsidiary
Total Funding
$20.5M
Latest Round
Acquired
Key Investors
Adaxtra

Technology & Products

Key Products

Ceramic cores for investment casting; Wax injection and assembly; 3D printed ceramic components

Technological Advantage

Verified EN9100 certification for 3D printing (since 2021) allows for the production of complex, flight-ready ceramic geometries that are difficult or impossible to achieve with traditional tooling.

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Reduces lead times for complex aerospace casting cores by integrating 3D printing with traditional CIM, enabling rapid prototyping and production of large-scale IGT components while maintaining EN9100 quality standards.

How They Differentiate

Leverages a century-long heritage in technical ceramics to provide a hybrid production model combining high-volume CIM with low-volume, certified 3D printing for critical engine components.

Market & Competition

Target Customers

Investment casting foundries serving the aeronautics, automotive, medical, and industrial gas turbine (IGT) sectors.

Industry Verticals

Aeronautics; Automotive; Medical; Industrial Gas Turbines (IGT)

Competitors

CeramTec; Perfect3D; Eagle Engineered Solutions

Growth & Milestones

Growth Metrics

Production capacity doubled between 2008 and 2009; team size of 68 employees; EN9100 certification expanded to include 3D printing in 2021.

Major Milestones

1870: Founded as Porcelaines Avignon; 1990: Technology transfer from Snecma Moteurs for ceramic cores; 2002: Expansion into Industrial Gas Turbine (IGT) cores; 2017: Adoption of ceramic 3D printing technology; 2018: Management buyout and acquisition by Adaxtra; 2021: EN9100 certification for 3D printing

Notable Customers

Rolls-Royce; Safran

https://www.avignonceramic.com

Why this company matters

Avignon Ceramics occupies a rare intersection of deep heritage and modern additive manufacturing. Founded in 1870 as Porcelaines Avignon, the French company has evolved from traditional ceramics into a specialized producer of high-precision ceramic cores for investment casting. Its core differentiator is a hybrid production model that pairs high-volume Ceramic Injection Moulding (CIM) with low-volume, EN9100-certified vat photopolymerization (VPP) 3D printing, a capability it adopted in 2017 and certified in 2021.

The company's primary product is ceramic cores used in the investment casting of superalloy components for aeronautics and industrial gas turbines (IGT). By integrating 3D printing, Avignon Ceramics can produce complex internal geometries—such as serpentine cooling channels in turbine blades—that are difficult or impossible to achieve with traditional tooling. Its proprietary ALUCER alumina formulations are designed for extreme thermal and mechanical environments. The company also offers wax injection and assembly services as part of a full casting core workflow.

Avignon Ceramics serves investment casting foundries that supply aerospace primes and IGT manufacturers. Named customers include Rolls-Royce and Safran, and the company has a long-standing technology transfer relationship with Snecma Moteurs dating to 1990. The EN9100 certification for 3D printing, expanded in 2021, allows the company to produce flight-ready ceramic geometries without the lead time and cost of hard tooling, a key advantage for prototyping and low-volume production of large-scale IGT components.

The company's strategic moat rests on over 150 years of technical ceramic expertise combined with a certified additive manufacturing capability that few traditional ceramic core makers possess. Its acquisition by Adaxtra in 2018 and management buyout provided capital for growth, including a doubling of production capacity between 2008 and 2009. A key open question is whether the hybrid CIM-plus-3D-printing model can scale to meet high-volume demand from IGT customers without sacrificing the certification and quality standards that differentiate it from competitors like CeramTec and Eagle Engineered Solutions.