Design, Fabrication, and Control of a New Ceramic 3D Printer

Ceramic on-demand extrusion (CODE) is a new material extrusion additive manufacturing process for advanced ceramics. Studies have demonstrated capability of CODE in producing ceramic parts with superior mechanical properties. The objective of this study was to develop the next generation of CODE printer. The frame, gantry system, extrusion head, oil tank, and radiation subsystem were designed, fabricated, and controlled. Ceramic slurries were developed and fed to the extruder that prints parts onto a bedplate. Green parts were then subject to postprocessing, including drying, debinding, and sintering. Composites and functionally graded materials were created using CODE to further study the process.