Ceramics and Metals: Direct or Indirect Additive Manufacturing? Pros & Cons
Do you want to produce Technical Materials such as Ceramics and Metals by SLA DLP 3D printing?
Production of Technical Ceramics and Metals by SLA DLP 3D printing can be achieved with very high detail and resolution of complex and intricate end use technical products, including:
- medical devices; analyzing equipment, endoscopy equipment, instrumentation, etc…
- dentistry: crowns, implants, copings and bridges
- jewelry: brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, watches
- industrial applications: fit and functional end use mechanical products, tools, fixtures and jigs, molds, microreactors, technically demmanding mechanical parts/pieces, etc…
- biomedical: prosthesis, implants, surgical cutting guides
- others
There are 2 types of production processes by Stereolithography:
- Direct Manufacturing / Production: direct printing of ceramics and metals with expensive and dedicated ceramic and metal SLA DLP 3D printers
- Indirect Manufacturing / Production: indirect production of ceramics and metals with traditional CIM and MIM resin slurries injected in durable and/or water soluble sacrificial molds printed with low cost SLA, DLP and LCD 3D printers
Our 3Dresyns for Direct Printing or Additive Manufacturing of Ceramic and Metals have these common features and benefits:
- excellent dispersibility and flow of post added micron and submicron ceramics and metals
- the ceramic or metal additions can be up to 45-50% volume concentrations with good flow and without sedimentation
- soluble systems in water and solvents for faster debinding
- very high resolution 3D printing for very high detail and resolution applications
- high print quality and speed with curing wavelengths up to 410 nm and higher upon request
- controlled and reproducible process shrinkage
- minimum expansion coefficient and risk of micro-cracking during debinding
- very low viscosity and excellent flow and wetting of final slurries
- printable by adapted SLA, DLP 3D printers with laser, LED & DLP projectors
Typical properties of Technical Ceramics and Metals
|
Flexural Strength (MPa) |
Fracture Toughness (MPa√m) |
Vickers Hardness HV(GPa) |
Tensile strength (MPa) |
Compression strength (MPa) |
Properties and Benefits |
|
|
Ceramic |
300-1200 |
4-10 |
10-20 |
1000-1500 |
2000-3000 |
Superior properties dependant on the selected technical ceramic material for highly technical applications and for production of complex and intricate end use technical products at very high resolution |
|
Metal |
200-1200 |
10-300 |
200-400 |
300-1000 |
300-1000 |
Superior properties dependant on the selected technical metal material for highly technical applications and for production of complex and intricate end use technical products at very high resolution |
We can help you to produce Ceramics and Metals via Direct Printing (with its inherent limitations) and via Indirect Production/Manufacturing (injection of traditional ceramic or metal slurries in durable or water soluble sacrificial molds)
Our 3Dresyns for direct printing Technical Ceramics and Metals can be customised to partially dissolve fast in water to speed up the debinding process 3-5 times and the overall sintering cycle. They provide excellent dimensional stability and contribute to overcoming the existing limiting maximum feature thickness of 1-2 mm due to microcracking issues.
Our existing 3Dresyns for Direct Printing of Ceramics can be printed with the following Technical Ceramics in SLA DLP 3D printers:
- alumina
- zirconia
- glass
- hydroxyapatite
- aluminum titanate (excellent thermal shock resistance)
- aluminum nitride (very high thermal conductivity and excellent electrical insulation)
- silicon carbide (hardest and lighest ceramic with excellent thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion and high chemical resistance)
- silicon nitride (excellent thermal shock resistance and high fracture toughness with excellent impact and shock resistance)
- piezo ceramics (for power transducers: ultrasonic applications, sensors: ultrasonic transmitters and receivers, actuators: precision positioning or injection systems)
- stainless steel, titanium, Wo-Mo, Co-Cr
Ceramic & Metal 3D resins and binders for Direct and Indirect Printing or Production of Ceramic and Metals can be custom designed to meet specific performance properties. Direct 3D printing of ceramic and metal parts have inherent technical limitations in comparison to Indirect Production of ceramic and metal parts via injection molding of ceramic and metal feedstocks.
Pros & Cons of Direct Printing Additive Manufacturing vs Indirect Additive Manufacturing of Technical Ceramics and Metals
Direct 3D Printing of ceramics and metals with Stereolithography SLA and jetting printers has presented great technological challenges and limitations in recent years. Adjusting the printing parameters for each ceramic and metal 3D resin is a slow and complex process. Opaque materials limit printing to thin layers of a few microns, such as 10-20 microns in stainless steel printing. The necessary use of a relatively higher percentage of photopolymer 3D resin binders c.15% vs 5% binders (which debind with less risk of microcraking) used in traditional CIM and MIM slurries, in order to provide 3D printability, hinders and slows the debinding and sintering process, making the production process too slow (several days) vs conventional CIM and MIM production processes..
Other key limitation is the maximum thickness of the printed pieces to about 1-2 mm, due to the tendency to suffer microcracking due to the excessive % of 3D photopolymer 3D resins in the ceramic and metal 3D resin used in direct 3D printing of ceramics and metals with stereolithography SLA and jetting printers vs conventional CIM and MIM binders which debind with less risk of microcracking.
The 3Dresyns team has developed water soluble 3D resins and binders with the aim of providing solutions to the limitations of direct printing of ceramics and metals by 3D stereolithography and jetting. Our water soluble 3d resins allow their use as:
- water soluble binders to reduce debinding and sintering times in direct 3D printing of ceramics and metals with SLA and Jetting but still need fine tuning of each ceramic and metal ohotopolymer 3D resin in the printer.
- durable and non durable sacrificial molds for the subsequent injection of ceramic and metal feedstocks. This process has several technical and productive advantages since the use of traditional ceramic and metal feedstocks show process improvements such as:
- simplicity, once the injection mold 3D resin is tuned in the printer, it will permit its use for injecting any material, overcoming the complex and time consuming process of fine tuning each ceramic and metal photopolymer 3D resin in the printer
- less risk of microcracking
- less thickness limitation
- higher debinding and sintering speed
- 100% isotropy
- improved final properties: higher density, lower microporosity of sintered materials
Benefits of Indirect Processes for Manufacturing Ceramics & Metals
Our water soluble 3D resins allow printing of high-resolution injection molds in affordable SLA, DLP and LCD 3D printers. This combined with the use of traditional ceramic and metal slurries and feedstocks in injection units using water soluble sacrificial molds printed with our water soluble 3D resins, allow the production of complex shaped ceramic and metal parts with the following technical and cost benefits compared to existing more expensive and less productive methods:
- full range of technical ceramics and metals slurries can be cast using traditional CIM and MIM feedstocks
- higher sintering density, lower microporosity vs metal Selective Laser Sintering SLS and direct printing of ceramics and metals by SLA and jetting
- less productive limitations, much faster and ecological debinding without solvents, with water for faster debinding and sintering times without limitation of thickness vs. ceramic and metal printing by SLA and jetting
- increased isotropy vs metal Selective Laser Sintering SLS and direct printing of ceramics and metals by SLA and jetting
- lower costs since our soluble resins allow the printing of sacrificial or durable molds with affordable SLA, DLP and LCD printers with prices ranging from 200 to 2000 Euros and with traditional injection units and traditional ceramic and metal feedstocks
Learn more about our Indirect Process or Production for Manufacturing Technical Ceramics and Metals via injection molding of :
- Indirect manufacturing of 3D printed products
- Water soluble 3D printed resins for printing sacrificial molds, inkjet supports, ceramic and metal binders and investment casting resins
Discover our customised traditional ceramic and metal binder slurries for Indirect Process Production of Technical Ceramics and Metals via injection molding and jetting:
- Ceramic and metal slurries "feedstock" for additive manufacturing of technical ceramics and metals
- Discover our porfolio of nano and micron materials which can be supplied as "solids slurries" in cartridges ready to inject with economical manual injection equipment.
Alternative Technologies: Direct AM by SLS 3D printing with 3D binder powders
- Selective Laser Sintering SLS where layers of plastic or metal binder powders are selectively sintered to create 3D printed objects
- 3Dresyns has developed universal bio based non-photoreactive powders for easy physical mixing with any Ceramic, Metal, Polymer/Plastic, or exotic powder or fiber for plastic / polymer powder Selective Laser Printing SLS, also known as Cold Metal Fusion (CMF), Cold Ceramic Fusion (CCF), and Cold Exotic Powders Fusion CEPF: Powder Binders for Cold SLS printing of Ceramic, Metal & Polymer powders. This technology can also be considered Direct AM since SLS prints keep their original shape (mold free system), despite needing solvent, or water, or thermal debinding and sintering after printing and before final use
Benefits of 3Dresyns SLS bio-based binder powders for Direct AM of ceramic, metal, polymer, and exotic powder materials
Powder Binders for SLS Cold Metal, Ceramic & Polymer Fusion are ideal for SLS printing of traditional ceramic, metal, polymer (such as polyimide), and exotic materials, exhibiting these features and benefits: