3D Printing of High-Precision, High-Strength SiC Ceramic Green Bodies
I. Ceramic 3D Printing: In the stereolithography process, a large amount of ultraviolet light is reflected, scattered, and absorbed, resulting in a low curing thickness of the SiC slurry.
Recently, Professor Jingjing Liang’s team at the Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, published a study entitled “High-precision and high-strength SiC ceramic green body by stereolithography: slurry design and defect control” in the *Journal of Alloys and Compounds*. They developed a new optimization strategy for SiC slurries using stereolithography 3D printing technology.
Original article link: https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17235830
II. Ceramic 3D Printing: Research Methods and Data for High-Precision, High-Strength SiC Ceramic Green Bodies.
This study addresses the problems of low curing thickness, high viscosity, and poor stability of SiC photosensitive slurries. A new resin system was developed using HDDA, TMPTA, DPHA, and PEG200 (volume ratio = 2:6:1:1) as raw materials, and anti-settling agents and plasticizers were added to improve the slurry performance. The influence of this resin system on the stereolithography preparation of SiC ceramics was analyzed, focusing on slurry performance, molding accuracy, and mechanical properties of the green body.
This study proposes and verifies an effective process path for preparing large-sized, complex-structured silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics using stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing technology, and achieves high structural precision in the final SiC ceramic product through the RMI sintering method. The main conclusions are as follows:
1. The effects of different functional group resin monomers on the performance of SiC slurry were systematically studied, and a resin system with a ratio of HDDA:TMPTA:DPHA = 2:6:1 was optimized, balancing the rheological properties and photocuring performance of the slurry.
2. By introducing the carboxyl anti-settling agent AKN7010, which forms hydrogen bonds with the hydroxyl groups on the surface of ceramic particles, the electrostatic adsorption between particles is enhanced, effectively inhibiting particle sedimentation and improving the storage stability of the slurry. The optimal addition amount is 0.3%.
3. PEG200 plasticizer demonstrated excellent performance in improving the printing accuracy and interlayer bonding of the green body. The ultimately optimized slurry formulation (HDDA:TMPTA:DPHA:PEG200 = 2:6:1:1) achieved a dynamic viscosity of less than 3 Pa·s and a 24-hour sedimentation rate of less than 1%, while maintaining a curing thickness of 85 μm.
4. Forming performance tests showed that the prepared SiC green body had good dimensional accuracy (X and Y axis dimensional deviation rate <1%, Z axis <2%) and surface quality. After sintering, the flexural strength reached 12.609 MPa, verifying the feasibility and practicality of this technical route in the preparation of complex-structured SiC ceramics.
Shenzhen AdventureTech Co., Ltd. was established in 2015 as a high-tech company focused on ceramic additive manufacturing technology. The company has a research and development team primarily consisting of postdoctoral researchers from Tsinghua University and returning PhDs from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, dedicated to providing complete solutions for “ceramic 3D printing equipment + ceramic 3D printing materials + ceramics sintering processes.”
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