Fabrication of complex-shaped zirconia ceramic parts via a DLP- stereolithography-based 3D printing method

摘要

AbstractIn this work, a stereolithography-based method of 3D printing was successfully used to fabricate a complex-shaped triangular zirconia cutting tool with a tool withdrawal groove and a honeycomb ceramic component. The sintered bodies displayed significant shrinkage after sintering, with the maximum shrinkage being 35.26%. The XRD pattern indicated that the crystalline phase of the parts was the t-ZrO2phase, while SEM characterization revealed that the sintered bodies were composed of densely packed submicron-grade grains, without any discernible pores. The density of the parts was measured as 97.14% via Archimedes’ water displacement method, which is consistent with the results of SEM characterization. Additionally, the measured Vickers hardness and fracture toughness of the fabricated parts were 13.0597GPa and 6.0380MPam1/2, respectively. These values are close to the structural properties of common zirconia ceramics prepared by conventional approaches. Hence, a novel DLP-stereolithography-based 3D printing process for the fabrication of complex and dense zirconia ceramic parts has been proposed in this work.]]>