Development of a Binder Formulation for Fused Deposition of Ceramics

A new binder formulation has been developed for Fused Deposition of Ceramics (FDC) which consists of commercially-available polymer constituents.. This formulation was used. in conjunction with lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and hydroxyapatite (HAp) powders. Adsorption studies were performed to test the effectiveness of several carboxylic acids and alcohols on the dispersion ofthese powders in the binder system. In both cases, it was found that stearic acid was most effective as a dispersant for the ceramic powder / thermoplastic system. After a suitable dispersant was chosen, ceramic powders were compounded with the binder formulation to yield 55 vol.% ceramic-loaded materials. The resultant compound was·used to make filament suitable for use in a modified StratasysTM 3D-Modeler. The filament was well suited for FDC usage, and the parts made using FDC contained no detectable filament-related defectsMechanical Engineerin