Rheological Properties of Zirconia/Paraffin Feedstocks Used for Plastic Forming of Zirconia Micro Parts

摘要

Zirconia micro columns of approximately 200 μm × 200 μm width and with an aspect ratio of 6 were produced for flexure strength testing applications. A metal model whose size was corrected for the expected sintering shrinkage was milled and subsequently used for the preparation of a silicone rubber mold. Small volumes of zirconia feedstocks were prepared and placed into the molds by a suited plastic forming method. The feedstocks consisted of suspensions of submicron zirconia particles dispersed in hot paraffin. First results about the improvement of the shaping process by an adjustment of the rheological properties of the feedstock will be shown.