ROBOZE and SUPSI Launch Joint R&D Initiative for Advanced High-Performance Materials

ROBOZE, an Italian manufacturer of high-temperature polymer extrusion systems, has entered a joint R&D initiative with the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), announced May 26, 2026. The collaboration, housed at SUPSI's Institute of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Technology (MEMTi), targets the development of additively manufactured Carbon-Carbon (C-C) and Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) components. Simone Cuscito, Chief R&D and Product Officer at ROBOZE, and Prof. Alberto Ortona, Head of the Hybrid Materials Laboratory at SUPSI, will lead the effort, combining ROBOZE's extrusion-based AM platforms with SUPSI's thermal conversion and material characterization capabilities. The stated goal is to produce components capable of withstanding ultra-high temperatures, thermal shock, and aggressive chemical environments for hypersonic systems and next-generation nuclear fusion technologies.

This initiative sits at the intersection of two underdeveloped frontiers in polymer extrusion: the push into ultra-high-temperature materials and the conversion of printed polymer precursors into ceramic or carbon-carbon structures. ROBOZE, known for its industrial FDM/FFF systems that process PEEK, PEKK, and other high-performance thermoplastics, is attempting to move up the materials value chain by integrating post-print thermal processing—a step that most polymer AM vendors have avoided due to its process complexity and capital intensity. The partnership directly addresses a gap in the current AM materials landscape: while metal PBF-LB and binder jetting have established routes to ceramic and refractory components via sintering and infiltration, polymer extrusion has largely been limited to thermoplastic end-use parts or lost-pattern tooling. If successful, this work could open a new application corridor for polymer AM in defense and energy segments where qualification timelines are long but performance requirements are extreme. The collaboration also reflects a recurring pattern in AM R&D—university partnerships that bridge fundamental materials science with production-scale equipment, though the path from lab-scale demonstration to qualified production remains long and capital-intensive.

From a practical standpoint, this is a pre-competitive materials research project, not a commercial product launch. ROBOZE and SUPSI will need to demonstrate repeatable conversion yields, dimensional stability through pyrolysis, and cost parity with incumbent manufacturing routes before any of these components reach qualification testing. For buyers in aerospace and energy, the initiative is worth tracking as a potential future supply option, but it does not yet change procurement decisions. The real signal here is that ROBOZE is investing in process integration rather than just machine throughput—a strategic choice that aligns with the industry's growing recognition that materials governance and post-processing capability are where value is captured in advanced AM applications.