A novel aqueous ceramic suspension for ceramic stereolithography

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present a new ceramic suspension to fabricate complex ceramic parts by stereolithography (SL). Design/methodology/approach - The process consists of preparation of aqueous ceramic suspensions, building ceramic parts, drying, subsequent binder removal, and sintering. Highly concentrated aqueous ceramic suspensions with a suitable viscosity are prepared, then a wet green ceramic part fabricated in a SL machine according to a 3D model is dried in polyethylene glycol. After binder removal sintering in a high temperature-sintering furnace, a complex ceramic part is obtained. Findings - The dispersant, volume fraction of ceramic powder and powder diameter could influence the viscosity of suspension. The cured depth is inversely proportional to the scanning speed of laser spot when the laser power keeps a constant and proportional to the concentration of monomer. The penetration depth and critical exposure are 0.27 mm and 231,2 mJ/cm(2) from the experimental result of the windowpanes method. A new support structure could prevent the deformation of ceramic part from the suspension and improve the quality of ceramic parts. A complex impeller is fabricated at last. Research limitations/implications - The dimensional and surface accuracy of ceramic SL should be further investigated. Originality/value - This paper describes a new aqueous ceramic suspension to produce complex-shaped ceramic parts by SL.