Use of shaped bodies having catalytic properties as reactor internals

A process for the preparation of shaped bodies having catalytic properties as reactor internals in heterogeneously catalyzed chemical reactions comprising the steps:

• a) production of a shaped body by means of a powder-based rapid prototyping process, of the following steps which are repeated until the desired shaped body has been built up completely from the individual layers:
• Applying a pulverulent starting material or starting material mixture having an average particle size in the range from about 0.5 μm to about 450 μm in a thin layer to a substrate and subsequently admixing at selected places on this layer with a binder and any auxiliaries required or irradiating or treating in another way so that the powder is bonded at these places, as a result of which the powder is bound both within the layer and also to the adjoining layers, repeating this procedure as often as necessary for the desired shape of the workpiece to have been reproduced completely in the powder bed formed, removing the powder which has not been bound by the binder to leave the bound powder in the desired shaped body,
• b) a heat treatment of the shaped body in the format sintering and/or calcination, wherein firstly binder removal can be carried out,
• c) application of at least one catalytically active component to the shaped body, and
• d) if appropriate, a further heat treatment,
• where steps b), c) and/or d) can be carried out a number of times.