Lithoz 3D Printed Ceramic Housing Helps X-quisite VORO Win iF Design Award 2025

X-quisite VORO, the first monoblock moving-coil (MC) turntable cartridge housed in a fully 3D printed, single-piece ceramic Voronoi-web structure, has been awarded the iF Design Award 2025. The jury recognised the cartridge for its combination of a technical monoblock layout with a ceramic capsule whose design and material choice deliver both precision engineering and uncompromising sound quality. Developed by HiFiction AG in Turbenthal, Switzerland, the flagship model’s zirconia housing was produced by Steinbach AG in Germany using Lithoz’s lithography-based ceramic manufacturing (LCM) process. The skeletonised, nature-inspired lattice is manufactured without joints, assembly, support structures, or post-processing, meeting strict mechanical and acoustic requirements.

Close-up of the X-quisite VORO MC cartridge. Photo via Lithoz.

HiFiction AG, a manufacturer of precision and micromechanical products for high-quality music reproduction with ten employees and a global customer base, designed the VORO to achieve optimal resonance behavior, low weight, and a distinctive visual form. The monoblock MC architecture integrates the needle carrier and coil body into a single unit, eliminating acoustic leaks that arise at mechanical attachment points. The housing sits completely contact-free above the needle, combining maximum rigidity with minimal sensitivity to airborne sound. Conventional manufacturing methods were unsuitable, and metals and plastics failed to meet the envisioned sweet spot between design freedom, weight, and sound performance. Steinbach AG, which provides ceramic prototyping and serial production for sectors including medical technology, high-temperature environments, electrical systems, automotive, and aerospace, identified zirconia as the most suitable material.

The zirconia housing is based on a lattice diagram, a geometry that incorporates cantilevered features and enclosed surfaces which make manual finishing impossible. To address this, Steinbach AG designed the component for precise sintering to ensure stress-free production. Using multiple Lithoz LCM printers, the company produced the housing entirely support-free, with each measuring 17.70 × 21.90 × 11.45 mm, featuring wall thicknesses below 1 mm and tolerances within ±50 µm. Each layer was built at 25 µm, with 15 parts produced per build platform, enabling economically viable small-batch production runs of around 100 units.

VORO Mounted on a premium tonearm. Photo via Lithoz.

Lithoz, headquartered in Austria, develops high-performance ceramic materials and 3D printers for applications requiring fine resolution and mechanical integrity. Founded in 2011, the company operates four global sites, employs nearly 150 staff, and maintains an export share approaching 100%. Lithoz has been ISO 9001-2015 certified since 2016 and, in 2025, obtained ISO 13485 certification for compliance with medical device manufacturing standards. Its LCM process provides the resolution and precision needed to realise intricate ceramic designs without compromise, making it possible to manufacture geometries that cannot be achieved through conventional forming or subtractive methods.

Recognition from the iF Design Award jury places the VORO among projects that advance both form and function through additive manufacturing, underpinned by Lithoz ceramic 3D printing technology. Production is limited to runs of around 100 units.