Laser Flash Sintering for Additive Manufacturing of Ceramics
Abstract
Additive manufacturing is a promising technology for near-battlefield repair and replacement. The ability to process multiple materials expands the scope of applications. The nScrypt equipment is a multi-material additive manufacturing system designed to dispense inks in a wide range of viscosities. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the feasibility of using laser flash sintering of ceramics using the nScrypt equipment. Laser flash sintering is a novel process that applies an electric field in combination with laser heating of ceramic powder to fuse the ceramic into a solid body. A ceramic slurry containing ceramic powder, solvent, dispersant, and a plasticizer was formulated and dispensed in multiple layers using the nScrypt's pneumatic dispense system. The yttrium aluminum garnet laser in combination with the electric field was used to laser sinter the layers of ceramic. Although laser sintering proved to be very challenging using this system, multilayer ceramic parts were made to full density using a postprocess furnace firing.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1068687
Entities
People
- Deborah Hagen
- Desiderio Kovar
- Joseph Beaman
- Michael D. Gammage
Organizations
- United States Army Research Laboratory