Slurry-based photoinitiator jetting process for ceramic additive manufacturing

Abstract

This study proposes a novel additive manufacturing (AM) process called Slurry-Based Photoinitiator Jetting Process (SPJ) for high-volume or large-size precision ceramics fabrication. The SPJ process draws inspiration from vat photopolymerization and binder jetting processes, using ceramic slurries containing photosensitive resins as the feedstock. The process involves first spreading ceramic slurry on a platform, followed by selectively jetting photoinitiator into the slurry layer by printheads, and finally light curing. This innovative SPJ process achieves simultaneous advantages in large build area, high-speed, and high-quality ceramic AM. By employing silicon carbide as the typical printing feedstock for SPJ, this study meticulously analyzed the jettability of the photoinitiator ink and focused on assessing the impacts of various factors on curing depth and the occurrence of tailing phenomena. Ultimately, high green density ceramic parts with exceptional homogeneity and a minimum designed pore size of 200 μm were obtained. The SPJ method demonstrates significant potential for the efficient manufacture of large or mass-produced precision ceramic components.