Mechanical characterisation of anisotropic silica sand/furan resin compound induced by binder jet 3D additive manufacturing technology

Binder jet 3D printing of ceramic materials is an additive manufacturing technology that enables the production of complex and multi-functional parts through the selective jet binding of precursor powder beds. The present study makes use of the 3D Sand Printing (3DSP) process to create moulds and cores in the casting industry. The use of the 3DSP components as functional parts in industrial production is limited due to the uncertainty associated with their mechanical properties, such as their permeability and thermal stability. Moreover, because of the porous nature of their printed structures, their mechanical properties are dispersed and rather difficult to reproduce. This study aims to characterise the impact of different printing parameters on the mechanical performance of printed parts. For this purpose, a specific device was made in order to assess the mechanical characteristics of samples printed via this technique. The effects of processing parameters such as the printing orientation and building direction on the compressive properties of the printed specimens have also been carefully studied. Microstructural analyses were performed to better understand the relationship between the 3DSP process and the mechanical properties of the components produced from it. The results show that the mechanical tests carried out significantly improve the property reproducibility of the samples made using this technique.