Additive manufacturing of ceramic components using laser scanning stereolithography

Three-dimensional stereolithographic additive manufacturing was customized successfully to create ceramics components with functional microstructures. Photosensitive acrylic resins with titania or alumina nanoparticles were spread on a glass substrate with a mechanical knife edge. Two-dimensional patterns formed by ultraviolet laser scans of 10 to 100 mu m in diameter were laminated to create composite precursors. Dense components could be obtained through dewaxing and sintering of the composite. Photonic four-coordinate crystal lattices with periodic arrangements of the dielectric constant were created to control electromagnetic waves in the gigahertz and terahertz frequency ranges by Bragg diffraction. Systematic optimization of the stereolithographic lamination and heat treatment patterns will be investigated to improve the dielectric microstructures related to the microwave properties.