Sacrificial 3D printed, highly accurate salt cores. Source (All Images) | Sallea
Sallea (Switzerland), an ETH Zurich spin-off specializing in templating technologies for biomanufacturing, is expanding the application of its proprietary salt-based structuring platform into the field of advanced composites and high-performance materials manufacturing.
At the core of Sallea’s technology is the controlled shaping of water-soluble salt cores, which act as temporary templates during manufacturing. These cores enable the creation of complex internal geometries and cavities that are difficult to realize with conventional tooling approaches. Following part consolidation, the salt is removed through dissolution, leaving behind precisely defined internal structures without the need for permanent cores or complex demolding strategies.
The Sallea founders (left to right): Anna Bünter and Simona Fehlmann.
Originally developed for applications in biomanufacturing, this templating approach is now being evaluated for composite processes where geometric complexity, weight reduction and process integration are key performance drivers. The technology is compatible with a range of manufacturing routes, including liquid molding processes such as resin transfer molding (RTM), as well as thermoplastic processing approaches involving co-molding or overmolding.
Compared to traditional core materials such as foams, honeycombs or sacrificial mandrels, salt-based templates offer a distinct combination of design freedom and process robustness. The cores can withstand typical processing conditions while enabling the integration of internal features such as channels, lattice structures or functional cavities. This opens up new possibilities for monolithic part design, reducing the need for secondary bonding operations and enabling more efficient load path-oriented structures.
From a manufacturing perspective, the approach also contributes to process simplification and material efficiency. By enabling more integrated geometries, it can reduce the number of components and assembly steps. In addition, the use of salt as a templating material introduces advantages in terms of sustainability, given its abundance, low cost and potential for reuse in closed-loop systems.
Call for industry collaboration
As Sallea continues to develop and scale its technology for composite applications, the company is actively engaging with industry experts, manufacturers and potential partners to better understand current challenges and requirements.
“At Sallea, we developed a platform technology that enables the structuring of materials into high-performance parts,” says Simona Fehlmann, CEO and co-founder. “Our salt cores allow manufacturers to create complex, lightweight structures while enabling more efficient and sustainable production processes.”
To support this effort, Sallea has launched a short survey (3-5 minutes) aimed at gathering insights on manufacturing challenges, market needs and opportunities for innovation.
The survey link is accessible here. All responses will be treated confidentially and used only in aggregated form.
“Your feedback will help guide our technology development and ensure we are addressing real industry needs,” says Fehlmann.
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