Ink-jet printing of binders for ceramic components

Layered manufacturing methods for fabricating ceramic components can involve selective deposition of binder using ink-jet printing. Selection of a proper binder plays a critical role in fabricating parts with good surface finish, dimensional accuracy, and high resolution. Several polymeric solution-phase binders were investigated in terms of their physical properties, printing performance, and binder-powder bed interaction. It was observed that the molecular weight should be < 15 000 for the binder to be penetrated into dense powder compacts. Binder infiltration kinetics and printed line width were also significantly influenced by powder-bed characteristics, such as surface roughness and pore size, as well as the physical properties of the binder, such as viscosity and surface tension.