Processing of sub-500 Micron Scale Ceramic Parts for Surgical Applications

摘要

As minimally invasive surgery becomes more popular, the demand for micron-scale surgical instruments has grown. A forming process using UV-Photolithography is presented that has produced clean, free standing zirconia parts on the micron scale. Gelcasting is employed to provide green strength, while controlled sintering prevents cracking and provides high densities in the parts. Issues such as edge and surface spallation, casting defects, debris, and the processing modifications to eliminate the defects are also addressed. The typical final parts are 99.8 percent dense, with a grain size of less than 500 nm.