Ceramic stereolithography: Additive manufacturing for 3D complex ceramic structures

Ceramic processing to fabricate 3D complex ceramic structures is crucial for structural, energy, environmental, and biomedical applications. A unique process is ceramic stereolithography, which builds ceramic green objects from CAD files from many thin liquid layers of powder in monomer, which are solidified by polymerization with a UV laser, thereby "writing" the design for each slice. This approach directly writes layers in liquid ceramic suspension and allows one to fabricate ceramic parts and products having more accurate, complex geometries and smooth surfaces. In this paper, both UV curable materials and processes are presented. We focus on the basic material principles associated with free radical polymerization and rheological behavior, cure depth and broadening of cured lines, scattering at ceramic interface and their corresponding simulation. The immediate potentials for ceramic AM to change industry fabrication are also highlighted.