Aqueous-Based Extrusion Fabrication of Ceramics on Demand

摘要

Aqueous-Based Extrusion Fabrication is an additive manufacturing technique that extrudes ceramic slurries of high solids loading layer by layer for part fabrication. The material reservoir in a previously developed system has been modified to allow for starting and stopping of extrusion process on demand. Design pros and cons are examined and a comparison between two material reservoir designs is made. Tests were conducted to determine the optimal deposition parameters for starting and stopping of the extrudate on demand. The collected test data is used to create a process model that describes the relationship between ram velocity and material extrusion rate. This model allows for the development of a deposition strategy that improves material deposition consistency, including reduced material buildup at sharp corners. Example parts are fabricated using the deposition strategy and hardware design.