Robocasting of Ceramics and Composites Using Fine Particle Suspensions

摘要

Solid freeform fabrication is the near-net-shape manufacturing of components by211u001esequentially stacking thin layers of material until complicated three dimensional 211u001eshapes are produced. The operation is computer controlled and requires no molds. 211u001eThis exciting new field of technology provides engineers with the ability to 211u001erapidly produce prototype parts directly from CAD drawings and oftentimes little 211u001eor no machining is necessary after fabrication. Techniques for freeform 211u001efabrication with several types of plastics and metals are already quite advanced 211u001eand maybe reviewed in references 1 and 2. Very complicated plastic models can be 211u001efabricated by stereolithography, selective laser sintering, fused deposition 211u001emodelling, or three-dimensional ink jet printing. Metals may be free formed by 211u001ethe LENSTM technique and porous ceramic bodies by three dimensional printing into 211u001ea porous powder bed. However, methods for freeform fabrication that utilize 211u001eparticulate slurries to build dense ceramics and composites are not as well 211u001edeveloped.