Additive Manufacturing With Ceramics

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this project was to modify and improve an off-the-shelf 3D printer, previously modified by Army Research Laboratory, to print a ceramic slurry of B4C and SiC. Initial iterations suggest improvement in mixedness of the ceramic composite is desirable to create a more homogenous blended microstructure. The initial design utilized a basic auger shape designed to move the slurry along, but it did not effectively mix the two slurries while printing. Various auger designs were also modeled in SolidWorks, matching the rheological properties of the ceramic slurries engaged in the print, to determine influence of geometric modifications on auger performance. Experimental augers were printed using a Formlabs 2 stereolithography printer, with clear photopolymer resin, and tested on the modified 3D printer. Modeling predictions were verified through the experimental print allowing for rapid analysis of geometric modifications without requiring an experimental print for each iteration. The group examined the homogeneity of the mixture under a 10x and then 40x microscope. A point counting method, like that used in traditional volume fraction analysis, was employed to evaluate mixedness.